Wilmington, NC vs Cary, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Cary spends 16.3% more per capita than Wilmington ($2,613/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
70/100
Budget Balance86
Debt Burden80
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Wilmington
Cary
Total Spending
$1.6B
$2.8B
Spending / Capita
$13,444
$16,057
Total Revenue
$2.6B
$4.6B
Revenue / Capita
$22,288
$26,541
Total Debt
$0
$101.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$582
Population
116,933
174,880
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Wilmington$305
Cary$353
Highways & Roads
Wilmington$269
Cary$0
Parks & Recreation
Wilmington$966
Cary$1,581
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
WilmingtonCary
| Sales Tax | $689 | $493 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,051 | $26,541 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,981 |
| Other | $1,201 | $3,182 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
WilmingtonCary
| Fire Protection | $305 | $353 |
| Highways & Roads | $269 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $811 | $58 |
| Hospitals | $1,195 | $322 |
| Parks & Recreation | $966 | $1,581 |
| Housing | $3,380 | $1,880 |
| Sewerage | $88 | $338 |
| Utilities | $1,119 | $3,759 |
| Interest on Debt | $320 | $733 |
| Other | $4,991 | $7,034 |
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health