Greensboro, NC vs Wilmington, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greensboro, NC spends 44% more per resident than Wilmington, NC: $19,352 against $13,444. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Wilmington, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 58/100 (grade C) for Greensboro, NC — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Wilmington, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Greensboro, NC carries $1,773 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Greensboro, NC at $3,225 per resident and in Wilmington, NC at $966.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Greensboro, NC at 12% of total revenue, whereas Wilmington, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 9%.
Summary
Greensboro spends 43.9% more per capita than Wilmington ($5,908/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 | $2,502 | $689 |
| Income Tax | $801 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,640 | $2,051 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,498 | $0 |
| Other | $2,691 | $1,201 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $340 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $570 | $269 |
| Education | $33 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,134 | $811 |
| Health | $329 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $911 | $1,195 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,225 | $966 |
| Housing | $3,186 | $3,380 |
| Sewerage | $207 | $88 |
| Utilities | $2,932 | $1,119 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,328 | $320 |
| Other | $5,155 | $4,991 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.