Fargo, ND vs Grand Forks, ND
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fargo, ND outspends Grand Forks, ND by a wide margin per resident — $13,250 versus $6,244, a 112% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fargo, ND edges Grand Forks, ND on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 64/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Grand Forks, ND reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fargo, ND carries $1,266 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fargo, ND leads with parks and recreation at $1,205 per resident, while Grand Forks, ND leads with police at $1,224.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 8% of total revenue in Fargo, ND and 674% in Grand Forks, ND.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.