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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Detroit, MI vs Raleigh, NC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Detroit spends 123.5% more per capita than Raleigh ($17,176/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Raleigh
Total Spending
$19.8B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$13,911
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$29,940
Total Debt
$493.9M
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$776
$906
Population
636,787
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Detroit$0
Raleigh$6
Health
Detroit$396
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitRaleigh
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$858
Income Tax
$1,045
$806
Intergovernmental
$291
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,681
Other
$6,892
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitRaleigh
Fire Protection
$2,429
$277
Highways & Roads
$0
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$833
$498
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$669
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,391
Housing
$5,791
$2,712
Sewerage
$451
$281
Utilities
$2,737
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$1,513
Other
$13,216
$3,646
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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