San Diego, CA vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA spends 26% more per resident than Seattle, WA: $43,306 against $34,463. 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 San Diego, CA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA 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: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Seattle, WA leads with parks and recreation at $3,923.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Diego, CA at 39% of total revenue, whereas Seattle, WA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.
Summary
San Diego spends 25.7% more per capita than Seattle ($8,844/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 | $124 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $3,960 |
| Other | $3,801 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $0 |
| Education | $2,005 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $3,439 |
| Health | $411 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $952 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $6,489 |
| Other | $17,509 | $11,260 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.