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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Seattle, WA

Population: 734,603 (2022) · Large Cities (250K+)

C
61/100

Average fiscal health — some areas of concern

Total Spending
$25.3B
Per Capita
$34,463
Total Revenue
$56.5B
Total Debt
$808.1M

Spending Breakdown

Other
32.7%$8.3B
Utilities
18.8%$4.8B
Parks & Recreation
11.4%$2.9B
Housing & Community Development
10.8%$2.7B
Public Welfare
10.0%$2.5B
Hospitals
5.4%$1.4B
Education
4.2%$1.1B
Health
3.3%$830.9M
Sewerage
2.8%$699.6M
Fire Protection
0.6%$154.2M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
2.4%$1.3B
Sales Tax
1.4%$804.0M
Income Tax
4.5%$2.6B
Intergovernmental
12.8%$7.2B
Charges & Fees
5.1%$2.9B
Other
11.1%$6.3B

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection$210/person
Parks & Recreation$3,923/person
Education$1,461/person
Health$1,131/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)69/100
Debt Burden (20%)50/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)22/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)100/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Debt Overview

Total Debt$808.1M
Long-Term Debt$2.3B
Debt Per Capita$1,100
Cash & Securities$314.0M

Compare Cities

See how Seattle stacks up against another city.

vs Spokane, WAvs Tacoma, WAvs Vancouver, WA
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in Washington

Spokane, WA

Pop. 228K

B
Total Spending
$3.7B
Per Capita
$16,224

Tacoma, WA

Pop. 219K

C
Total Spending
$5.2B
Per Capita
$23,896

Vancouver, WA

Pop. 191K

D
Total Spending
$2.6B
Per Capita
$13,434

Bellevue, WA

Pop. 151K

C
Total Spending
$3.3B
Per Capita
$22,065

Compare Seattle With

Spokane, WA

Spending: $16,224/person · Grade: B

Tacoma, WA

Spending: $23,896/person · Grade: C

Vancouver, WA

Spending: $13,434/person · Grade: D

Bellevue, WA

Spending: $22,065/person · Grade: C

Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA spends $34,463 per resident, based on total expenditures of $25.3B for a population of 734,603. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of C (61/100).

Seattle, WA has total expenditures of $25.3B and total revenue of $56.5B. The city carries $808.1M in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

Seattle, WA employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

Seattle, WA has a Fiscal Health Score of C (61/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

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