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

Fayetteville, NC vs Winston-Salem, NC

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

Summary

Fayetteville spends 12.0% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($1,505/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).

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
Winston-Salem, NC
Pop. 249,571
A
89/100
Budget Balance97
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fayetteville
Winston-Salem
Total Spending
$2.9B
$3.1B
Spending / Capita
$14,049
$12,544
Total Revenue
$8.5B
$8.2B
Revenue / Capita
$40,860
$33,050
Total Debt
$365.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,749
$0
Population
208,697
249,571
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fayetteville$196
Winston-Salem$207
Parks & Recreation
Fayetteville$1,062
Winston-Salem$801

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleWinston-Salem
Sales Tax
$124
$297
Income Tax
$717
$521
Intergovernmental
$1,555
$2,560
Charges & Fees
$3,488
$2,604
Other
$3,474
$3,138

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleWinston-Salem
Fire Protection
$196
$207
Public Welfare
$378
$632
Hospitals
$319
$875
Parks & Recreation
$1,062
$801
Housing
$2,914
$3,260
Sewerage
$0
$180
Utilities
$3,100
$2,767
Interest on Debt
$628
$865
Other
$5,454
$2,959
B
Fayetteville, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health

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