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

Winston-Salem, NC vs Fayetteville, NC

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

Summary

Fayetteville spends 10.7% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($1,505/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
Fayetteville, NC
Pop. 208,697
B
70/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Winston-Salem
Fayetteville
Total Spending
$3.1B
$2.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,544
$14,049
Total Revenue
$8.2B
$8.5B
Revenue / Capita
$33,050
$40,860
Total Debt
$0
$365.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,749
Population
249,571
208,697
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Winston-Salem$207
Fayetteville$196
Parks & Recreation
Winston-Salem$801
Fayetteville$1,062

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemFayetteville
Sales Tax
$297
$124
Income Tax
$521
$717
Intergovernmental
$2,560
$1,555
Charges & Fees
$2,604
$3,488
Other
$3,138
$3,474

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemFayetteville
Fire Protection
$207
$196
Public Welfare
$632
$378
Hospitals
$875
$319
Parks & Recreation
$801
$1,062
Housing
$3,260
$2,914
Sewerage
$180
$0
Utilities
$2,767
$3,100
Interest on Debt
$865
$628
Other
$2,959
$5,454
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Fayetteville, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities