Wilmington, NC vs Greensboro, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greensboro, NC spends 44% more per resident than Wilmington, NC: $19,352 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 58/100 (grade C) for Greensboro, NC — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Wilmington, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Greensboro, NC carries $1,773 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 Greensboro, NC at $3,225.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wilmington, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Greensboro, NC relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Greensboro spends 30.5% more per capita than Wilmington ($5,908/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 | $2,502 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,051 | $2,640 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,498 |
| Other | $1,201 | $2,691 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $305 | $340 |
| Highways & Roads | $269 | $570 |
| Education | $0 | $33 |
| Public Welfare | $811 | $1,134 |
| Health | $0 | $329 |
| Hospitals | $1,195 | $911 |
| Parks & Recreation | $966 | $3,225 |
| Housing | $3,380 | $3,186 |
| Sewerage | $88 | $207 |
| Utilities | $1,119 | $2,932 |
| Interest on Debt | $320 | $1,328 |
| Other | $4,991 | $5,155 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.