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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Federal Way, WA vs Tacoma, WA

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

Summary

Tacoma spends 67.6% more per capita than Federal Way ($16,147/person difference). Federal Way, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Federal Way, WA
Pop. 99,614
B
67/100
Budget Balance31
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity41
Trend Direction50
City B
Tacoma, WA
Pop. 219,234
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Federal Way
Tacoma
Total Spending
$771.9M
$5.2B
Spending / Capita
$7,749
$23,896
Total Revenue
$336.4M
$18.9B
Revenue / Capita
$3,377
$86,417
Total Debt
$0
$402.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,835
Population
99,614
219,234
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Federal Way$288
Tacoma$0
Fire Protection
Federal Way$205
Tacoma$1,153
Parks & Recreation
Federal Way$840
Tacoma$1,048
Education
Federal Way$0
Tacoma$1,396
Health
Federal Way$0
Tacoma$283

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Federal WayTacoma
Property Tax
$122
$131
Sales Tax
$220
$789
Income Tax
$59
$3,984
Intergovernmental
$1,441
$17,186
Charges & Fees
$0
$5,236
Other
$1,369
$6,696

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Federal WayTacoma
Police
$288
$0
Fire Protection
$205
$1,153
Education
$0
$1,396
Public Welfare
$1,037
$1,807
Health
$0
$283
Hospitals
$214
$396
Parks & Recreation
$840
$1,048
Housing
$2,945
$4,805
Sewerage
$0
$798
Utilities
$117
$5,418
Other
$2,103
$6,793
B
Federal Way, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Tacoma, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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