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

Seattle, WA vs Kansas City, MO

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

Summary

Seattle spends 51.0% more per capita than Kansas City ($11,643/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
Kansas City, MO
Pop. 505,958
C
52/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Kansas City
Total Spending
$25.3B
$11.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$22,820
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$675.4M
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$1,335
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
505,958
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Kansas City$119
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Kansas City$1,309
Education
Seattle$1,461
Kansas City$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Kansas City$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleKansas City
Property Tax
$1,831
$0
Sales Tax
$1,094
$623
Income Tax
$3,496
$0
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$7
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$3,794
Other
$8,544
$11,150

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleKansas City
Fire Protection
$210
$119
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$3,018
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$1,849
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$1,309
Housing
$3,727
$4,681
Sewerage
$952
$0
Utilities
$6,489
$3,123
Other
$11,260
$8,721
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Kansas City, MO
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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