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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Winston-Salem, NC vs Cary, NC

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

Summary

Cary spends 21.9% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($3,513/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Winston-Salem, NC
Pop. 249,571
A
89/100
Budget Balance97
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Cary, NC
Pop. 174,880
B
70/100
Budget Balance86
Debt Burden80
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Winston-Salem
Cary
Total Spending
$3.1B
$2.8B
Spending / Capita
$12,544
$16,057
Total Revenue
$8.2B
$4.6B
Revenue / Capita
$33,050
$26,541
Total Debt
$0
$101.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$582
Population
249,571
174,880
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Winston-Salem$207
Cary$353
Parks & Recreation
Winston-Salem$801
Cary$1,581

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemCary
Sales Tax
$297
$493
Income Tax
$521
$801
Intergovernmental
$2,560
$26,541
Charges & Fees
$2,604
$1,981
Other
$3,138
$3,182

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemCary
Fire Protection
$207
$353
Public Welfare
$632
$58
Hospitals
$875
$322
Parks & Recreation
$801
$1,581
Housing
$3,260
$1,880
Sewerage
$180
$338
Utilities
$2,767
$3,759
Interest on Debt
$865
$733
Other
$2,959
$7,034
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

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