Durham, NC vs Cary, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Durham, NC outspends Cary, NC by a wide margin per resident — $31,264 versus $16,057, a 95% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Cary, NC edges Durham, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 66/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Durham, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Cary, NC carries $582 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Durham, NC leads with education at $17,100 per resident, while Cary, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,581.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 39% of total revenue in Durham, NC and 100% in Cary, NC.
Summary
Durham spends 94.7% more per capita than Cary ($15,207/person difference). Cary, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $493 |
| Income Tax | $164 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,775 | $26,541 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,981 |
| Other | $924 | $3,182 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $921 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $682 | $353 |
| Highways & Roads | $461 | $0 |
| Education | $17,100 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $58 |
| Health | $517 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $159 | $322 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $1,581 |
| Housing | $1,169 | $1,880 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $338 |
| Utilities | $2,350 | $3,759 |
| Interest on Debt | $32 | $733 |
| General Admin | $43 | $0 |
| Other | $7,830 | $7,034 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.