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

Grand Forks, ND vs Fargo, ND

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

Summary

Fargo spends 52.9% more per capita than Grand Forks ($7,006/person difference). Fargo, ND has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Grand Forks, ND
Pop. 58,935
C
57/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Fargo, ND
Pop. 127,319
C
64/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Grand Forks
Fargo
Total Spending
$368.0M
$1.7B
Spending / Capita
$6,244
$13,250
Total Revenue
$49.3M
$9.1B
Revenue / Capita
$836
$71,744
Total Debt
$0
$161.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,266
Population
58,935
127,319
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Grand Forks$1,224
Fargo$45
Fire Protection
Grand Forks$500
Fargo$241
Highways & Roads
Grand Forks$0
Fargo$216
Parks & Recreation
Grand Forks$0
Fargo$1,205
Health
Grand Forks$0
Fargo$409

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Grand ForksFargo
Property Tax
$0
$292
Sales Tax
$0
$1,029
Income Tax
$0
$1,364
Intergovernmental
$5,633
$6,065
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,017
Other
$625
$2,985

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Grand ForksFargo
Police
$1,224
$45
Fire Protection
$500
$241
Highways & Roads
$0
$216
Public Welfare
$621
$1,537
Health
$0
$409
Hospitals
$0
$127
Parks & Recreation
$0
$1,205
Housing
$1,057
$1,862
Sewerage
$0
$204
Utilities
$1,216
$2,262
Interest on Debt
$0
$865
Other
$1,627
$4,277
C
Grand Forks, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Fargo, ND
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

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