Wilmington, NC vs Fayetteville, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fayetteville, NC and Wilmington, NC spend within 4.5% of each other per resident — $14,049 versus $13,444 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Wilmington, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Fayetteville, 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 Fayetteville, NC carries $1,749 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 Fayetteville, NC at $1,062.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wilmington, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Fayetteville, NC relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
Fayetteville spends 4.3% more per capita than Wilmington ($606/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 | $124 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $717 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,051 | $1,555 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,488 |
| Other | $1,201 | $3,474 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $305 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $269 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $811 | $378 |
| Hospitals | $1,195 | $319 |
| Parks & Recreation | $966 | $1,062 |
| Housing | $3,380 | $2,914 |
| Sewerage | $88 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,119 | $3,100 |
| Interest on Debt | $320 | $628 |
| Other | $4,991 | $5,454 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.