Detroit, MI vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Seattle spends 9.8% more per capita than Detroit ($3,375/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Detroit
Seattle
Total Spending
$19.8B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$34,463
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$76,958
Total Debt
$493.9M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$776
$1,100
Population
636,787
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Seattle$3,923
Education
Detroit$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Detroit$396
Seattle$1,131
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitSeattle
| Property Tax | $44 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $3,960 |
| Other | $6,892 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitSeattle
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $210 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $3,439 |
| Health | $396 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $952 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $6,489 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $0 |
| Other | $13,216 | $11,260 |
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health