Updated April 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau, fiscal year 2023
Is Kent, WA in Financial Trouble?
Not yet, but Kent, WA bears watching. Its C grade (57/100) is a middle-of-the-pack reading: the city is meeting today's obligations, but at least one structural factor, debt, pension funding, or thin reserves, is flashing a caution signal that could tighten budgets over the next two to three years.
Kent, WA Budget Snapshot
| Total Spending | $1.4B |
| Per Capita Spending | $10,491 |
| Total Revenue | $1.4B |
| Total Debt | $122.3M |
| Debt Per Capita | $905 |
| Population | 135,169 |
| Fiscal Health Score | 57/100 (C) |
| Data Year | FY 2023 |
Fiscal Health Score Breakdown
Kent's C grade is the weighted average of six factors, each scored 0–100. Its strongest input is Spending Efficiency (100/100); its weakest is Budget Balance & Reserves (34/100). The weakest factor is where budget pressure is most likely to surface first.
What Does the C Grade Mean?
Kent, WA earns a C on the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score (57/100). The city is meeting current obligations but is exposed on at least one structural front, debt service, pension funding shortfalls, or thin reserves, that warrants close watching over the next two to three budget cycles.
Debt Burden in Context
Debt-wise, Kent sits close to the peer median for cities its size: $905 per resident versus a peer-group median of $0. That tracks with normal capital-program borrowing for streets, water, and public buildings.
Where the Money Goes
Of the $1.4B that Kent, WA spent in its most recent reported fiscal year, the largest single line item per resident is Parks & Recreation at $1,448. Police comes next at $413 per resident. Together those two functions account for the bulk of every-day taxpayer-facing services in the city budget. The remaining categories, parks, health, housing, debt service, and general administration, fill out the picture.
Top Spending Categories (Per Capita)
Where the Money Comes From
Where does the money come from? Property tax provides 0 percent of city revenue, sales tax 3 percent, intergovernmental transfers from federal and state sources 19 percent, and direct charges and user fees 18 percent. The remainder comes from utility revenue, income tax (where applicable), and miscellaneous sources.
How This Score Is Calculated
The CitySpend Fiscal Health Score combines six factors into one composite, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden per capita versus peer median (20%), pension funded ratio from the Public Plans Database (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year trend direction (10%). Best-practice weighting follows guidance from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). Read the full methodology.
More about Kent, WA
Not yet, but Kent, WA bears watching. Its C grade (57/100) is a middle-of-the-pack reading: the city is meeting today's obligations, but at least one structural factor, debt, pension funding, or thin reserves, is flashing a caution signal that could tighten budgets over the next two to three years.
The data source behind this answer is the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.