Durham, NC vs Wilmington, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Durham, NC outspends Wilmington, NC by a wide margin per resident — $31,264 versus $13,444, a 133% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wilmington, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 66/100 (grade B) for Durham, NC — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Durham, NC leads with education at $17,100 per resident, while Wilmington, NC leads with parks and recreation at $966.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 39% of total revenue in Durham, NC and 9% in Wilmington, NC.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $689 |
| Income Tax | $164 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,775 | $2,051 |
| Other | $924 | $1,201 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.