Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Wilmington, NC vs Raleigh, NC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Raleigh spends 3.4% more per capita than Wilmington ($467/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Wilmington, NC
Pop. 116,933
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Wilmington
Raleigh
Total Spending
$1.6B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$13,444
$13,911
Total Revenue
$2.6B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$22,288
$29,940
Total Debt
$0
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$0
$906
Population
116,933
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Wilmington$305
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Wilmington$269
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Wilmington$966
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Wilmington$0
Raleigh$6

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WilmingtonRaleigh
Sales Tax
$689
$858
Income Tax
$0
$806
Intergovernmental
$2,051
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,681
Other
$1,201
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WilmingtonRaleigh
Fire Protection
$305
$277
Highways & Roads
$269
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$811
$498
Hospitals
$1,195
$669
Parks & Recreation
$966
$1,391
Housing
$3,380
$2,712
Sewerage
$88
$281
Utilities
$1,119
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$320
$1,513
Other
$4,991
$3,646
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities