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

Austin, TX vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 36.8% more per capita than Austin ($12,691/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
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
Austin
Seattle
Total Spending
$20.9B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$34,463
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$76,958
Total Debt
$1.2B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$1,100
Population
958,202
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Seattle$3,923
Education
Austin$51
Seattle$1,461
Health
Austin$517
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinSeattle
Property Tax
$0
$1,831
Sales Tax
$526
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,465
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$3,960
Other
$5,645
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinSeattle
Fire Protection
$634
$210
Education
$51
$1,461
Public Welfare
$1,837
$3,439
Health
$517
$1,131
Hospitals
$664
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$3,923
Housing
$3,741
$3,727
Sewerage
$865
$952
Utilities
$3,264
$6,489
Other
$8,399
$11,260
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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