Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Seattle, WA vs Dallas, TX

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

Summary

Dallas spends 1.1% more per capita than Seattle ($387/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Dallas
Total Spending
$25.3B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$34,849
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$5,474
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Seattle$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Dallas$0
Education
Seattle$1,461
Dallas$62
Health
Seattle$1,131
Dallas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleDallas
Property Tax
$1,831
$9
Sales Tax
$1,094
$25
Income Tax
$3,496
$0
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$0
Other
$8,544
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleDallas
Police
$0
$1,519
Fire Protection
$210
$305
Highways & Roads
$0
$201
Education
$1,461
$62
Public Welfare
$3,439
$215
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$385
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$0
Housing
$3,727
$444
Sewerage
$952
$0
Utilities
$6,489
$833
General Admin
$0
$25,827
Other
$11,260
$5,059
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities