Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fayetteville, NC vs Cary, NC

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

Summary

Cary spends 12.5% more per capita than Fayetteville ($2,008/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fayetteville, NC
Pop. 208,697
B
70/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Cary, NC
Pop. 174,880
B
70/100
Budget Balance86
Debt Burden80
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fayetteville
Cary
Total Spending
$2.9B
$2.8B
Spending / Capita
$14,049
$16,057
Total Revenue
$8.5B
$4.6B
Revenue / Capita
$40,860
$26,541
Total Debt
$365.1M
$101.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,749
$582
Population
208,697
174,880
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fayetteville$196
Cary$353
Parks & Recreation
Fayetteville$1,062
Cary$1,581

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleCary
Sales Tax
$124
$493
Income Tax
$717
$801
Intergovernmental
$1,555
$26,541
Charges & Fees
$3,488
$1,981
Other
$3,474
$3,182

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleCary
Fire Protection
$196
$353
Public Welfare
$378
$58
Hospitals
$319
$322
Parks & Recreation
$1,062
$1,581
Housing
$2,914
$1,880
Sewerage
$0
$338
Utilities
$3,100
$3,759
Interest on Debt
$628
$733
Other
$5,454
$7,034
B
Fayetteville, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities