Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Phoenix, AZ vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 54.2% more per capita than Phoenix ($18,670/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Phoenix
Seattle
Total Spending
$25.4B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$34,463
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$76,958
Total Debt
$1.9B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$1,100
Population
1,609,456
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Seattle$3,923
Education
Phoenix$214
Seattle$1,461
Health
Phoenix$258
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSeattle
Property Tax
$7
$1,831
Sales Tax
$338
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,260
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$3,960
Other
$2,038
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSeattle
Fire Protection
$170
$210
Highways & Roads
$86
$0
Education
$214
$1,461
Public Welfare
$507
$3,439
Health
$258
$1,131
Hospitals
$1,521
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$652
$3,923
Housing
$3,879
$3,727
Sewerage
$388
$952
Utilities
$2,480
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$0
Other
$3,878
$11,260
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities