Raleigh, NC vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Raleigh, NC spends 53% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $13,911 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Las Vegas, NV edges Raleigh, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 82/100 (grade A) to 76/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Las Vegas, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. 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 Las Vegas, NV at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Raleigh, NC at 47% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Raleigh spends 53.1% more per capita than Las Vegas ($4,826/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $858 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $0 |
| Other | $4,740 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $277 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $45 |
| Education | $6 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $705 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $332 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $129 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $0 |
| Other | $3,646 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.