Sacramento, CA vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $15,854, a 348% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Charlotte, NC edges Sacramento, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 10% in Charlotte, NC.
Summary
Sacramento spends 348.0% more per capita than Charlotte ($55,167/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $2,459 |
| Other | $5,072 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $41 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $672 |
| Health | $18 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $3,944 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $0 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $2,226 |
| Other | $26,782 | $3,448 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.