Fayetteville, NC vs Wilmington, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fayetteville, NC and Wilmington, NC spend within 4.5% of each other per resident — $14,049 versus $13,444 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Wilmington, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Fayetteville, NC — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Wilmington, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fayetteville, NC carries $1,749 per resident. 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 Wilmington, NC at $966.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Fayetteville, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Wilmington, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 9%.
Summary
Fayetteville spends 4.5% more per capita than Wilmington ($606/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 | $124 | $689 |
| Income Tax | $717 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,555 | $2,051 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,488 | $0 |
| Other | $3,474 | $1,201 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $196 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $269 |
| Public Welfare | $378 | $811 |
| Hospitals | $319 | $1,195 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,062 | $966 |
| Housing | $2,914 | $3,380 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $88 |
| Utilities | $3,100 | $1,119 |
| Interest on Debt | $628 | $320 |
| Other | $5,454 | $4,991 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.