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

Seattle, WA vs Las Vegas, NV

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

Summary

Seattle spends 279.3% more per capita than Las Vegas ($25,377/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).

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
Las Vegas, NV
Pop. 644,835
A
82/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Las Vegas
Total Spending
$25.3B
$5.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$9,085
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$5.3B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$8,251
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
644,835
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Seattle$0
Las Vegas$945
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Las Vegas$280
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Las Vegas$45
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Las Vegas$1,028
Education
Seattle$1,461
Las Vegas$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Las Vegas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleLas Vegas
Property Tax
$1,831
$50
Sales Tax
$1,094
$386
Income Tax
$3,496
$0
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$1,137
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$0
Other
$8,544
$2,806

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleLas Vegas
Police
$0
$945
Fire Protection
$210
$280
Highways & Roads
$0
$45
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$705
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$356
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$1,028
Housing
$3,727
$23
Sewerage
$952
$332
Utilities
$6,489
$129
Other
$11,260
$5,243
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Las Vegas, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health

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