City of Winston-Salem

Municipal Government Servicescityofws.org

The City of Winston-Salem is a municipal government entity, formed in 1913, delivering utilities (water, sewer, stormwater), public safety, transit, solid waste, parks, and planning services to residents and businesses of Winston-Salem, North Carolina through an integrated omnichannel citizen engagement platform.

Company typePrivate
Founded1913
HeadquartersWinston-salem, United States
Headcount1,001–5,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What City of Winston-Salem does

The City of Winston-Salem is a municipal government entity formed in 1913 through the merger of the towns of Winston and Salem, operating as an independent political subdivision of the State of North Carolina. The city delivers a broad portfolio of essential public services to its residents and local businesses, including water, sewer, and stormwater utilities; solid waste collection and recycling; public safety through its Police and Fire departments; public transportation via the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA); parks, recreation facilities, and greenways; planning, zoning, and economic development services; and human resources and general administrative functions. Service delivery is supported by an integrated municipal footprint of six named facilities, including City Hall at 101 North Main Street and the Joycelyn V. Johnson Municipal Services Center for field operations.

The city's citizen-facing technology stack centers on the CityLink 311 omnichannel engagement platform — accessible by phone (336-727-8000), text, email, web portal, and an iOS/Android mobile application — which serves as the primary intake hub for service requests and information. The BuildIT online portal digitizes building permit submissions, inspections, and plan reviews for contractors and developers. WSTV 13 provides government-access television, and a city-produced podcast (First and Main), the CityNOW+ email newsletter, and active social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, NextDoor, and Flickr extend outreach. Payments are processed through the Paymentus platform for water bills, business licenses, parking tickets, fire permits, and other invoices.

As a municipal corporation, the City of Winston-Salem does not operate a commercial revenue model; it is funded through tax revenues, utility fees, permits, intergovernmental transfers, and other public-sector fiscal mechanisms. Customers are segmented horizontally across Winston-Salem residents (primary), local businesses, developers and contractors, and utility customers. The city holds a statutory monopoly over most of its services within jurisdictional boundaries, faces no direct commercial competitors, and is governed by an elected Mayor, City Council, and a professional City Manager supported by four Assistant City Managers.

City of Winston-Salem firmographics

Firmographics

Name: City of Winston-Salem
Legal name: City of Winston-Salem
Website: https://cityofws.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1913
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1,001–5,000 employees
Short description: The City of Winston-Salem is a municipal government entity, formed in 1913, delivering utilities (water, sewer, stormwater), public safety, transit, solid waste, parks, and planning services to residents and businesses of Winston-Salem, North Carolina through an integrated omnichannel citizen engagement platform.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

City of Winston-Salem industry classification

Industry

Product category: Municipal Government Services
NAICS: Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (56)
SIC: Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953), Water Supply (4941), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
akta.pro primary industry: City/Municipal Public Health Departments (HLAJAAAC)
akta.pro secondary industries: Street & Public Space Litter Collection (Municipal Cleaning) (BPALAAAE), Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) Collection Events & Programs (EUAIAAAM), Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection & Program Operations (BPALAFAL)

Keywords

Municipal government services
Public utilities
Public safety
Parks and recreation
Urban planning

Where City of Winston-Salem is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Winston-salem
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

City of Winston-Salem business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

City of Winston-Salem product offering

Product offering

Core offering

City of Winston-Salem is a municipal government providing essential public services to city residents, businesses, and visitors. Its core offerings include water, sewer and stormwater utilities, solid waste collection, public safety (police and fire), public transportation (WSTA bus service), recreation and parks management, planning and zoning services, building permitting, and citizen engagement through the CityLink 311 customer service portal. These services are delivered across Winston-Salem and surrounding Forsyth County areas.

Product overview

City of Winston-Salem operates as a municipal government providing a broad portfolio of public services rather than a commercial product company. The city's offerings span utility management (water, sewer, stormwater), public safety (police, fire), transportation (WSTA bus service), recreation and parks, planning and development, solid waste collection, and citizen engagement (CityLink 311). The primary citizen-facing digital services include the CityLink 311 customer portal, BuildIT online permit system, WSTV 13 government television, and the CityLink mobile application. These services are integrated through the city's official website at cityofws.org rather than a unified platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

CityLink 311 Customer Service Center Centralized 311 customer service center providing information, service requests, and issue reporting for residents and businesses. Acts as the primary citizen engagement hub for all city services.
Utilities (Water, Sewer & Stormwater) Municipal water treatment, distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management services serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
Recreation & Parks Manages parks, greenways, recreation centers, pools, athletic programs, and community facilities throughout Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) Public bus transportation system providing fixed-route and transit services across the Winston-Salem metropolitan area.
BuildIT Permit System Online portal for submitting and tracking building permits, inspections, plan reviews, and construction-related approvals for contractors and developers.
Solid Waste Collections Residential and commercial garbage collection, recycling programs, yard waste services, bulky item pickup, and household hazardous waste disposal (3RC EnviroStation).
Planning & Development Services Zoning administration, land use planning, comprehensive planning, GIS/mapping, historic preservation, and developer assistance services.
WSTV 13 Government-access television station broadcasting city council meetings, public affairs programming, documentaries, and community information content.
CityLink 311 Mobile App Mobile application enabling citizens to submit service requests, report issues, view alerts, and access city services on smartphones and tablets.

Companies that use City of Winston-Salem

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

City of Winston-Salem technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

City of Winston-Salem partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

Wake Forest UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWake Forest University is developing 'The Grounds,' a 100-acre mixed-use project in Winston-Salem with projected investment of $250 million, expected to be completed by 2027. The project includes retail, office space, student housing, and community green areas aimed at revitalizing the area economically and socially.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

City of Winston-Salem competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

City of Greensboro, NC: Neighboring North Carolina city of comparable size in the Piedmont Triad region. Operates the same portfolio of municipal services (utilities, solid waste, transit, public safety) for a similar demographic base, making it the most directly comparable municipal peer.
City of High Point, NC: Adjacent Triad city with shared regional labor market and overlapping service delivery. Comparable in size and scope of municipal utilities, sanitation, and public safety operations.
City of Durham, NC: Mid-size North Carolina city of similar institutional character, anchored by a major research university (Duke). Operates comparable utility, transit, and solid waste services with similar governance and revenue-mix dynamics.
City of Raleigh, NC: North Carolina capital city of similar operational scale, providing the same municipal service portfolio. Useful as a peer for benchmarking utility operations, transit, and digital citizen engagement investments.
City of Asheville, NC: Mid-size North Carolina city with comparable municipal utility operations and a tourism-influenced revenue base. Serves as a relevant peer for solid waste and water system economics.
Forsyth County Government: Overlapping county-level government that shares service-delivery responsibilities (public health, solid waste, recreation) with the City of Winston-Salem under joint agreements. Highly relevant for understanding regional service economics.
City of Fayetteville, NC: Comparable mid-size North Carolina municipal government providing the same core services. Useful for benchmarking service-cost ratios and capital planning practices for utilities and public works.
City of Cary, NC: Well-run North Carolina municipality of similar scale recognized for digital service delivery and utility operations. A relevant peer for benchmarking operational efficiency and resident engagement.

Broad incumbents

City of Charlotte, NC: Largest North Carolina municipality, providing a broader-scale reference for advanced municipal service delivery — particularly in transit, water/wastewater utilities, and digital resident platforms that Winston-Salem may emulate at smaller scale.

Others

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities: Joint city-county utility operating unit that delivers the water, sewer, and stormwater services from the City of Winston-Salem's portfolio. A direct internal operating analog for the largest revenue-generating service line.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

City of Winston-Salem financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

City of Winston-Salem leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

City of Winston-Salem funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

City of Winston-Salem M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Winston-Salem

What does City of Winston-Salem do?

Is City of Winston-Salem a public or private company?

City of Winston-Salem is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was City of Winston-Salem founded?

City of Winston-Salem was founded in 1913. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Where is City of Winston-Salem based?

City of Winston-Salem is headquartered in Winston-salem, United States, in the North America region.

Who are City of Winston-Salem's main competitors?

Regional players on record are City of Greensboro, NC, City of High Point, NC, City of Durham, NC, City of Raleigh, NC, City of Asheville, NC, Forsyth County Government, City of Fayetteville, NC and City of Cary, NC. City of Charlotte, NC is listed as a broad incumbent. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities is listed as an others.

Does City of Winston-Salem have an API?

No public API is recorded for City of Winston-Salem.

What industry is City of Winston-Salem in?

City of Winston-Salem's product category is Municipal Government Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAAAC, City/Municipal Public Health Departments, with a secondary code of BPALAAAE, Street & Public Space Litter Collection (Municipal Cleaning). Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 4950.