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

Charlotte, NC vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 54.0% more per capita than Charlotte ($18,609/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Charlotte
Seattle
Total Spending
$13.9B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$34,463
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$76,958
Total Debt
$2.4B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$1,100
Population
875,045
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Seattle$3,923
Education
Charlotte$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Charlotte$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteSeattle
Property Tax
$0
$1,831
Sales Tax
$541
$1,094
Income Tax
$366
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$3,960
Other
$4,866
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteSeattle
Fire Protection
$463
$210
Highways & Roads
$41
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$672
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$1,243
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$3,923
Housing
$3,944
$3,727
Sewerage
$0
$952
Utilities
$2,244
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$0
Other
$3,448
$11,260
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities