Raleigh, NC vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 57% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $21,772 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC edges Austin, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 76/100 (grade B) to 75/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Raleigh, NC carries the lighter load at $906 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Raleigh, NC at $1,391 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 47% of total revenue in Raleigh, NC and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Austin spends 36.1% more per capita than Raleigh ($7,861/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 | $858 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $3,247 |
| Other | $4,740 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $277 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $0 |
| Education | $6 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $1,837 |
| Health | $0 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $865 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $3,264 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $0 |
| Other | $3,646 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.