Las Vegas, NV vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Raleigh, NC spends 53% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $13,911 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Las Vegas, NV edges Raleigh, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 82/100 (grade A) to 76/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Las Vegas, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Las Vegas, NV at $1,028 per resident and in Raleigh, NC at $1,391.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Las Vegas, NV at 34% of total revenue, whereas Raleigh, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 47%.
Summary
Raleigh spends 34.7% more per capita than Las Vegas ($4,826/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $50 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $386 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,137 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,681 |
| Other | $2,806 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $945 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $280 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $45 | $448 |
| Education | $0 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $705 | $498 |
| Hospitals | $356 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,028 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $23 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $332 | $281 |
| Utilities | $129 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,513 |
| Other | $5,243 | $3,646 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.