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

Portland, OR vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 31.3% more per capita than Portland ($10,788/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
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
Portland
Seattle
Total Spending
$15.3B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$34,463
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$76,958
Total Debt
$1.0B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$1,100
Population
646,101
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Seattle$3,923
Education
Portland$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Portland$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandSeattle
Property Tax
$0
$1,831
Sales Tax
$1,695
$1,094
Income Tax
$130
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$8,979
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$3,883
$3,960
Other
$7,916
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandSeattle
Fire Protection
$1,700
$210
Highways & Roads
$139
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$3,607
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$2,893
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$2,477
$3,923
Housing
$3,694
$3,727
Sewerage
$630
$952
Utilities
$1,845
$6,489
Other
$6,689
$11,260
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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