Miami, FL vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 22% more per resident than Miami, FL: $34,463 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Seattle, WA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Miami, FL — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Seattle, WA carries $1,100 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399 per resident, while Seattle, WA leads with parks and recreation at $3,923.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Miami, FL and 13% in Seattle, WA.
Summary
Seattle spends 18.2% more per capita than Miami ($6,267/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $1,647 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $15,037 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,960 |
| Other | $1,399 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $7,399 | $210 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $109 | $3,439 |
| Health | $0 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $1,499 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,783 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $6,840 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $699 | $952 |
| Utilities | $1,295 | $6,489 |
| Other | $8,572 | $11,260 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.