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

Durham, NC vs Wilmington, NC

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

Summary

Durham spends 132.6% more per capita than Wilmington ($17,821/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Durham, NC
Pop. 284,094
B
66/100
Budget Balance43
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency37
Revenue Diversity95
Trend Direction50
City B
Wilmington, NC
Pop. 116,933
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Durham
Wilmington
Total Spending
$8.9B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$31,264
$13,444
Total Revenue
$4.9B
$2.6B
Revenue / Capita
$17,235
$22,288
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
284,094
116,933
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Durham$921
Wilmington$0
Fire Protection
Durham$682
Wilmington$305
Highways & Roads
Durham$461
Wilmington$269
Parks & Recreation
Durham$0
Wilmington$966
Education
Durham$17,100
Wilmington$0
Health
Durham$517
Wilmington$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DurhamWilmington
Sales Tax
$0
$689
Income Tax
$164
$0
Intergovernmental
$6,775
$2,051
Other
$924
$1,201

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DurhamWilmington
Police
$921
$0
Fire Protection
$682
$305
Highways & Roads
$461
$269
Education
$17,100
$0
Public Welfare
$0
$811
Health
$517
$0
Hospitals
$159
$1,195
Parks & Recreation
$0
$966
Housing
$1,169
$3,380
Sewerage
$0
$88
Utilities
$2,350
$1,119
Interest on Debt
$32
$320
General Admin
$43
$0
Other
$7,830
$4,991
B
Durham, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 66/100
Good fiscal health
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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