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

Fargo, ND vs Grand Forks, ND

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

Summary

Fargo spends 112.2% more per capita than Grand Forks ($7,006/person difference). Fargo, ND has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fargo, ND
Pop. 127,319
C
64/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Grand Forks, ND
Pop. 58,935
C
57/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fargo
Grand Forks
Total Spending
$1.7B
$368.0M
Spending / Capita
$13,250
$6,244
Total Revenue
$9.1B
$49.3M
Revenue / Capita
$71,744
$836
Total Debt
$161.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,266
$0
Population
127,319
58,935
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fargo$45
Grand Forks$1,224
Fire Protection
Fargo$241
Grand Forks$500
Highways & Roads
Fargo$216
Grand Forks$0
Parks & Recreation
Fargo$1,205
Grand Forks$0
Health
Fargo$409
Grand Forks$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FargoGrand Forks
Property Tax
$292
$0
Sales Tax
$1,029
$0
Income Tax
$1,364
$0
Intergovernmental
$6,065
$5,633
Charges & Fees
$2,017
$0
Other
$2,985
$625

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FargoGrand Forks
Police
$45
$1,224
Fire Protection
$241
$500
Highways & Roads
$216
$0
Public Welfare
$1,537
$621
Health
$409
$0
Hospitals
$127
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,205
$0
Housing
$1,862
$1,057
Sewerage
$204
$0
Utilities
$2,262
$1,216
Interest on Debt
$865
$0
Other
$4,277
$1,627
C
Fargo, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
C
Grand Forks, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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