Denver, CO vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Seattle spends 2.6% more per capita than Denver ($880/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Seattle
Total Spending
$23.9B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$34,463
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$76,958
Total Debt
$3.6B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$1,100
Population
710,800
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Seattle$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Seattle$3,923
Education
Denver$821
Seattle$1,461
Health
Denver$693
Seattle$1,131
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverSeattle
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,960 |
| Other | $10,100 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverSeattle
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $3,439 |
| Health | $693 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $952 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $6,489 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $11,260 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health