Seattle, WA vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 58% more per resident than Austin, TX: $34,463 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for Seattle, WA — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Seattle, WA carries the lighter load at $1,100 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Seattle, WA at $3,923 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Seattle, WA and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Seattle spends 58.3% more per capita than Austin ($12,691/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $3,247 |
| Other | $8,544 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $634 |
| Education | $1,461 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $1,837 |
| Health | $1,131 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $865 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $3,264 |
| Other | $11,260 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.