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

Seattle, WA vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Seattle spends 192.8% more per capita than Arlington ($22,693/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Arlington
Total Spending
$25.3B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$11,769
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$60,454
Total Debt
$808.1M
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$594
Population
734,603
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Arlington$1,352
Education
Seattle$1,461
Arlington$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleArlington
Property Tax
$1,831
$0
Sales Tax
$1,094
$507
Income Tax
$3,496
$73
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$2,949
Other
$8,544
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleArlington
Fire Protection
$210
$160
Highways & Roads
$0
$149
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$826
Health
$1,131
$219
Hospitals
$1,871
$152
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$1,352
Housing
$3,727
$2,981
Sewerage
$952
$141
Utilities
$6,489
$1,385
Other
$11,260
$4,404
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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