Winston-Salem, NC vs Durham, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Durham, NC outspends Winston-Salem, NC by a wide margin per resident — $31,264 versus $12,544, a 149% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Winston-Salem, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 89/100 (grade A) against 66/100 (grade B) for Durham, NC — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Winston-Salem, NC leads with parks and recreation at $801 per resident, while Durham, NC leads with education at $17,100.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Winston-Salem, NC at 9% of total revenue, whereas Durham, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 39%.
Summary
Durham spends 59.9% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($18,720/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $297 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $521 | $164 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,560 | $6,775 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,604 | $0 |
| Other | $3,138 | $924 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $921 |
| Fire Protection | $207 | $682 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $461 |
| Education | $0 | $17,100 |
| Public Welfare | $632 | $0 |
| Health | $0 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $875 | $159 |
| Parks & Recreation | $801 | $0 |
| Housing | $3,260 | $1,169 |
| Sewerage | $180 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,767 | $2,350 |
| Interest on Debt | $865 | $32 |
| General Admin | $0 | $43 |
| Other | $2,959 | $7,830 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.