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

Raleigh, NC vs Fayetteville, NC

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

Summary

Fayetteville spends 1.0% more per capita than Raleigh ($139/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
Fayetteville, NC
Pop. 208,697
B
70/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Raleigh
Fayetteville
Total Spending
$6.5B
$2.9B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$14,049
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$8.5B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$40,860
Total Debt
$421.6M
$365.1M
Debt / Capita
$906
$1,749
Population
465,517
208,697
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
Fayetteville$196
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
Fayetteville$0
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
Fayetteville$1,062
Education
Raleigh$6
Fayetteville$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighFayetteville
Sales Tax
$858
$124
Income Tax
$806
$717
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$1,555
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$3,488
Other
$4,740
$3,474

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighFayetteville
Fire Protection
$277
$196
Highways & Roads
$448
$0
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$378
Hospitals
$669
$319
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$1,062
Housing
$2,712
$2,914
Sewerage
$281
$0
Utilities
$2,469
$3,100
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$628
Other
$3,646
$5,454
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
B
Fayetteville, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

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