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

Memphis, TN vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 35.8% more per capita than Memphis ($12,352/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
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
Memphis
Seattle
Total Spending
$13.9B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$22,111
$34,463
Total Revenue
$21.5B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$34,065
$76,958
Total Debt
$191.2M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$303
$1,100
Population
630,027
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Memphis$469
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Memphis$277
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Memphis$1,397
Seattle$3,923
Education
Memphis$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Memphis$391
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisSeattle
Property Tax
$10
$1,831
Sales Tax
$496
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,218
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$34,065
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,077
$3,960
Other
$3,994
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisSeattle
Fire Protection
$469
$210
Highways & Roads
$277
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$630
$3,439
Health
$391
$1,131
Hospitals
$1,677
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$1,397
$3,923
Housing
$4,683
$3,727
Sewerage
$0
$952
Utilities
$2,578
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$1,158
$0
Other
$8,850
$11,260
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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