Chicago, IL vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 0.3% more per capita than Seattle ($89/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Seattle
Total Spending
$94.0B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$34,463
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$76,958
Total Debt
$2.7B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,100
Population
2,721,914
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Seattle$3,923
Education
Chicago$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Chicago$426
Seattle$1,131
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoSeattle
| Property Tax | $26 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $3,960 |
| Other | $3,463 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoSeattle
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $3,439 |
| Health | $426 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $952 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $6,489 |
| Other | $9,385 | $11,260 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health