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

Washington, DC vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Washington spends 1649.3% more per capita than Raleigh ($229,430/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Washington, DC
Pop. 670,587
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Washington
Raleigh
Total Spending
$163.2B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$243,341
$13,911
Total Revenue
$186.2B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$277,701
$29,940
Total Debt
$1.7B
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$2,516
$906
Population
670,587
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Washington$4,183
Raleigh$0
Fire Protection
Washington$4,262
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Washington$1,435
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Washington$5,459
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Washington$53,224
Raleigh$6
Health
Washington$1,009
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WashingtonRaleigh
Property Tax
$25
$0
Sales Tax
$991
$858
Income Tax
$141
$806
Intergovernmental
$18,754
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$4,070
$2,681
Other
$11,518
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WashingtonRaleigh
Police
$4,183
$0
Fire Protection
$4,262
$277
Highways & Roads
$1,435
$448
Education
$53,224
$6
Public Welfare
$2,498
$498
Health
$1,009
$0
Hospitals
$17,668
$669
Parks & Recreation
$5,459
$1,391
Housing
$10,296
$2,712
Sewerage
$2,881
$281
Utilities
$88,990
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$58
$1,513
General Admin
$3,225
$0
Other
$48,155
$3,646
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities