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

Atlanta, GA vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 26.1% more per capita than Atlanta ($9,005/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Atlanta
Seattle
Total Spending
$12.6B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$25,457
$34,463
Total Revenue
$77.6B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$156,803
$76,958
Total Debt
$0
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,100
Population
494,838
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Atlanta$315
Seattle$0
Fire Protection
Atlanta$464
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Atlanta$513
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Atlanta$1,274
Seattle$3,923
Education
Atlanta$25
Seattle$1,461
Health
Atlanta$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaSeattle
Property Tax
$419
$1,831
Sales Tax
$0
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,292
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$9,121
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$5,645
$3,960
Other
$5,461
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaSeattle
Police
$315
$0
Fire Protection
$464
$210
Highways & Roads
$513
$0
Education
$25
$1,461
Public Welfare
$1,587
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$55
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$1,274
$3,923
Housing
$4,594
$3,727
Sewerage
$343
$952
Utilities
$8,026
$6,489
Other
$8,262
$11,260
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities