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

Seattle, WA vs Fresno, CA

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

Summary

Fresno spends 20.6% more per capita than Seattle ($8,925/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
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Fresno
Total Spending
$25.3B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$43,387
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$10,998
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Seattle$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Fresno$568
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Fresno$76
Education
Seattle$1,461
Fresno$3,942
Health
Seattle$1,131
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleFresno
Property Tax
$1,831
$337
Sales Tax
$1,094
$19
Income Tax
$3,496
$501
Intergovernmental
$9,846
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$11
Other
$8,544
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleFresno
Police
$0
$3,261
Fire Protection
$210
$568
Education
$1,461
$3,942
Public Welfare
$3,439
$1,946
Health
$1,131
$599
Hospitals
$1,871
$0
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$76
Housing
$3,727
$2,856
Sewerage
$952
$0
Utilities
$6,489
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$0
$255
Other
$11,260
$14,545
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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