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

Winston-Salem, NC vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Raleigh spends 9.8% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($1,367/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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Winston-Salem
Raleigh
Total Spending
$3.1B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$12,544
$13,911
Total Revenue
$8.2B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$33,050
$29,940
Total Debt
$0
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$0
$906
Population
249,571
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Winston-Salem$207
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Winston-Salem$0
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Winston-Salem$801
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Winston-Salem$0
Raleigh$6

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemRaleigh
Sales Tax
$297
$858
Income Tax
$521
$806
Intergovernmental
$2,560
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,604
$2,681
Other
$3,138
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Winston-SalemRaleigh
Fire Protection
$207
$277
Highways & Roads
$0
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$632
$498
Hospitals
$875
$669
Parks & Recreation
$801
$1,391
Housing
$3,260
$2,712
Sewerage
$180
$281
Utilities
$2,767
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$865
$1,513
Other
$2,959
$3,646
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities