Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Sparks, NV vs North Las Vegas, NV

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

North Las Vegas, NV and Sparks, NV spend within 14.2% of each other per resident — $11,006 versus $9,634 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

North Las Vegas, NV edges Sparks, NV on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 69/100 (grade B) to 67/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Sparks, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while North Las Vegas, NV carries $1,048 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sparks, NV leads with parks and recreation at $873 per resident, while North Las Vegas, NV leads with police at $601.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Sparks, NV at 100% of total revenue, whereas North Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 28%.

Summary

North Las Vegas spends 12.5% more per capita than Sparks ($1,372/person difference). North Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Sparks, NV
Pop. 108,025
B
67/100
Budget Balance49
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
North Las Vegas, NV
Pop. 264,022
B
69/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden55
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Sparks
North Las Vegas
Total Spending
$1.0B
$2.9B
Spending / Capita
$9,634
$11,006
Total Revenue
$918.0M
$3.8B
Revenue / Capita
$8,498
$14,243
Total Debt
$0
$276.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,048
Population
108,025
264,022
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Sparks$0
North Las Vegas$601
Fire Protection
Sparks$629
North Las Vegas$216
Parks & Recreation
Sparks$873
North Las Vegas$598
Health
Sparks$0
North Las Vegas$116

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SparksNorth Las Vegas
Sales Tax
$74
$315
Intergovernmental
$8,498
$78
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,069
Other
$3,990
$4,054

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SparksNorth Las Vegas
Police
$0
$601
Fire Protection
$629
$216
Public Welfare
$387
$194
Health
$0
$116
Hospitals
$231
$270
Parks & Recreation
$873
$598
Housing
$3,512
$3,289
Sewerage
$0
$524
Utilities
$0
$1,665
Other
$4,002
$3,533
B
Sparks, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
B
North Las Vegas, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.