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

San Francisco, CA vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 434.3% more per capita than Seattle ($149,669/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
San Francisco
Seattle
Total Spending
$156.7B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$34,463
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$76,958
Total Debt
$1.7B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$1,100
Population
851,036
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Seattle$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Seattle$3,923
Education
San Francisco$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoSeattle
Property Tax
$148
$1,831
Sales Tax
$3,028
$1,094
Income Tax
$269
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$3,960
Other
$18,918
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoSeattle
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$210
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$2,203
$3,439
Health
$1,911
$1,131
Hospitals
$6,939
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$3,923
Housing
$9,315
$3,727
Sewerage
$1,423
$952
Utilities
$21,190
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$11,260
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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