Bellevue, WA vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 56% more per resident than Bellevue, WA: $34,463 against $22,065. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Seattle, WA edges Bellevue, WA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Seattle, WA carries the lighter load at $1,100 per resident versus $1,741 for Bellevue, WA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Bellevue, WA at $3,103 per resident and in Seattle, WA at $3,923.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 34% of total revenue in Bellevue, WA and 13% in Seattle, WA.
Summary
Seattle spends 36.0% more per capita than Bellevue ($12,397/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,441 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $1,282 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $50 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,407 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,003 | $3,960 |
| Other | $8,143 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $162 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $966 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $80 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $1,774 | $3,439 |
| Health | $0 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $2,517 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,103 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $3,270 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $199 | $952 |
| Utilities | $3,441 | $6,489 |
| Other | $6,553 | $11,260 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.