Seattle, WA vs Memphis, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 56% more per resident than Memphis, TN: $34,463 against $22,111. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Memphis, TN edges Seattle, WA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 61/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Memphis, TN carries the lighter load at $303 per resident versus $1,100 for Seattle, WA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Seattle, WA at $3,923 per resident and in Memphis, TN at $1,397.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Seattle, WA and 100% in Memphis, TN.
Summary
Seattle spends 55.9% more per capita than Memphis ($12,352/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $496 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $1,218 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $34,065 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $2,077 |
| Other | $8,544 | $3,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $469 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $277 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $630 |
| Health | $1,131 | $391 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $1,677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $1,397 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $4,683 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $0 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $2,578 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,158 |
| Other | $11,260 | $8,850 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.