Durham, NC vs Greensboro, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Durham, NC outspends Greensboro, NC by a wide margin per resident — $31,264 versus $19,352, a 62% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Durham, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 66/100 (grade B) against 58/100 (grade C) for Greensboro, NC — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Durham, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Greensboro, NC carries $1,773 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Durham, NC leads with education at $17,100 per resident, while Greensboro, NC leads with parks and recreation at $3,225.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Durham, NC at 39% of total revenue, whereas Greensboro, NC relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Durham spends 61.6% more per capita than Greensboro ($11,912/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 | $2,502 |
| Income Tax | $164 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,775 | $2,640 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,498 |
| Other | $924 | $2,691 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $921 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $682 | $340 |
| Highways & Roads | $461 | $570 |
| Education | $17,100 | $33 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $1,134 |
| Health | $517 | $329 |
| Hospitals | $159 | $911 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $3,225 |
| Housing | $1,169 | $3,186 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $207 |
| Utilities | $2,350 | $2,932 |
| Interest on Debt | $32 | $1,328 |
| General Admin | $43 | $0 |
| Other | $7,830 | $5,155 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.