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

Fort Worth, TX vs Charlotte, NC

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Fort Worth, TX and Charlotte, NC spend within 0.5% of each other per resident — $15,939 versus $15,854 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Fort Worth, TX and Charlotte, NC both land at 63/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.

On debt, Fort Worth, TX carries the lighter load at $1,921 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fort Worth, TX at $708 per resident and in Charlotte, NC at $1,571.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fort Worth, TX at 15% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.

Summary

Fort Worth spends 0.5% more per capita than Charlotte ($86/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fort Worth, TX
Pop. 924,663
C
63/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Worth
Charlotte
Total Spending
$14.7B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$15,939
$15,854
Total Revenue
$24.7B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$26,694
$49,746
Total Debt
$1.8B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$1,921
$2,690
Population
924,663
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Worth$156
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Fort Worth$317
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Fort Worth$708
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Fort Worth$235
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WorthCharlotte
Sales Tax
$198
$541
Income Tax
$851
$366
Intergovernmental
$4,002
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$3,594
$2,459
Other
$3,439
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WorthCharlotte
Fire Protection
$156
$463
Highways & Roads
$317
$41
Public Welfare
$869
$672
Health
$235
$0
Hospitals
$1,680
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$708
$1,571
Housing
$4,217
$3,944
Sewerage
$267
$0
Utilities
$2,674
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,226
Other
$4,817
$3,448
C
Fort Worth, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.