Wilmington, NC vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charlotte, NC spends 18% more per resident than Wilmington, NC: $15,854 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 63/100 (grade C) for Charlotte, NC — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Wilmington, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 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 Charlotte, NC at $1,571.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wilmington, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Charlotte spends 15.2% more per capita than Wilmington ($2,410/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 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,051 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,459 |
| Other | $1,201 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $305 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $269 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $811 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $1,195 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $966 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $3,380 | $3,944 |
| Sewerage | $88 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,119 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $320 | $2,226 |
| Other | $4,991 | $3,448 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.