Durham, NC vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Durham, NC outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $31,264 versus $15,854, a 97% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Durham, NC edges Charlotte, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 66/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). 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 Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Durham, NC leads with education at $17,100 per resident, while Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Durham, NC at 39% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Durham spends 97.2% more per capita than Charlotte ($15,411/person difference). Durham, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $164 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,775 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,459 |
| Other | $924 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $921 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $682 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $461 | $41 |
| Education | $17,100 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $672 |
| Health | $517 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $159 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $1,169 | $3,944 |
| Utilities | $2,350 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $32 | $2,226 |
| General Admin | $43 | $0 |
| Other | $7,830 | $3,448 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.