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

Raleigh, NC vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 12.3% more per capita than Raleigh ($1,943/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Raleigh
Charlotte
Total Spending
$6.5B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$15,854
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$49,746
Total Debt
$421.6M
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$906
$2,690
Population
465,517
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
Charlotte$1,571
Education
Raleigh$6
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighCharlotte
Sales Tax
$858
$541
Income Tax
$806
$366
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$2,459
Other
$4,740
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighCharlotte
Fire Protection
$277
$463
Highways & Roads
$448
$41
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$672
Hospitals
$669
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$1,571
Housing
$2,712
$3,944
Sewerage
$281
$0
Utilities
$2,469
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$2,226
Other
$3,646
$3,448
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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