Fayetteville, NC vs Greensboro, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greensboro, NC spends 38% more per resident than Fayetteville, NC: $19,352 against $14,049. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fayetteville, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 58/100 (grade C) for Greensboro, NC — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Fayetteville, NC carries the lighter load at $1,749 per resident versus $1,773 for Greensboro, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fayetteville, NC at $1,062 per resident and in Greensboro, NC at $3,225.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Fayetteville, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Greensboro, NC relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Greensboro spends 27.4% more per capita than Fayetteville ($5,303/person difference). Fayetteville, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $124 | $2,502 |
| Income Tax | $717 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,555 | $2,640 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,488 | $2,498 |
| Other | $3,474 | $2,691 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $196 | $340 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $570 |
| Education | $0 | $33 |
| Public Welfare | $378 | $1,134 |
| Health | $0 | $329 |
| Hospitals | $319 | $911 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,062 | $3,225 |
| Housing | $2,914 | $3,186 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $207 |
| Utilities | $3,100 | $2,932 |
| Interest on Debt | $628 | $1,328 |
| Other | $5,454 | $5,155 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.