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

Raleigh, NC vs Wilmington, NC

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

Summary

Raleigh spends 3.5% more per capita than Wilmington ($467/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Wilmington, NC
Pop. 116,933
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Raleigh
Wilmington
Total Spending
$6.5B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$13,444
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$2.6B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$22,288
Total Debt
$421.6M
$0
Debt / Capita
$906
$0
Population
465,517
116,933
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
Wilmington$305
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
Wilmington$269
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
Wilmington$966
Education
Raleigh$6
Wilmington$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighWilmington
Sales Tax
$858
$689
Income Tax
$806
$0
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$2,051
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$0
Other
$4,740
$1,201

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighWilmington
Fire Protection
$277
$305
Highways & Roads
$448
$269
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$811
Hospitals
$669
$1,195
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$966
Housing
$2,712
$3,380
Sewerage
$281
$88
Utilities
$2,469
$1,119
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$320
Other
$3,646
$4,991
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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