Seattle, WA vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Seattle spends 10.9% more per capita than Detroit ($3,375/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Seattle
Detroit
Total Spending
$25.3B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$31,087
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$44,533
Total Debt
$808.1M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$776
Population
734,603
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Detroit$950
Education
Seattle$1,461
Detroit$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
SeattleDetroit
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $2,228 |
| Other | $8,544 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
SeattleDetroit
| Fire Protection | $210 | $2,429 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $833 |
| Health | $1,131 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $950 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $451 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $11,260 | $13,216 |
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health