Wilmington, NC vs Cary, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Cary, NC spends 19% more per resident than Wilmington, NC: $16,057 against $13,444. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Wilmington, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Cary, NC — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Wilmington, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Cary, NC carries $582 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Wilmington, NC at $966 per resident and in Cary, NC at $1,581.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 9% of total revenue in Wilmington, NC and 100% in Cary, NC.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.