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

Raleigh, NC vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 55.3% more per capita than Raleigh ($17,176/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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Raleigh
Detroit
Total Spending
$6.5B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$31,087
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$44,533
Total Debt
$421.6M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$906
$776
Population
465,517
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
Detroit$950
Education
Raleigh$6
Detroit$0
Health
Raleigh$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighDetroit
Property Tax
$0
$44
Sales Tax
$858
$200
Income Tax
$806
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$291
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$2,228
Other
$4,740
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighDetroit
Fire Protection
$277
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$448
$0
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$833
Health
$0
$396
Hospitals
$669
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$950
Housing
$2,712
$5,791
Sewerage
$281
$451
Utilities
$2,469
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$2,068
Other
$3,646
$13,216
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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