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

Fresno, CA vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Fresno spends 173.7% more per capita than Charlotte ($27,534/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Fresno
Charlotte
Total Spending
$23.5B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$15,854
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$49,746
Total Debt
$0
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,690
Population
541,528
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Charlotte$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Charlotte$1,571
Education
Fresno$3,942
Charlotte$0
Health
Fresno$599
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoCharlotte
Property Tax
$337
$0
Sales Tax
$19
$541
Income Tax
$501
$366
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$11
$2,459
Other
$2,070
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoCharlotte
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$463
Highways & Roads
$0
$41
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$672
Health
$599
$0
Hospitals
$0
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$76
$1,571
Housing
$2,856
$3,944
Utilities
$15,340
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$255
$2,226
Other
$14,545
$3,448
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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