Oklahoma City, OK vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oklahoma City, OK spends 30% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $18,074 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Raleigh, NC carries the lighter load at $906 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014 per resident and in Raleigh, NC at $1,391.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Oklahoma City, OK and 47% in Raleigh, NC.
Summary
Oklahoma City spends 29.9% more per capita than Raleigh ($4,163/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $763 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $1,037 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,852 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,256 | $2,681 |
| Other | $1,836 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $513 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $448 |
| Education | $0 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $1,525 | $498 |
| Health | $5 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,044 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,014 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $2,857 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $281 |
| Utilities | $4,523 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $707 | $1,513 |
| Other | $3,886 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.