Seattle, WA vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 22% more per resident than Miami, FL: $34,463 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Seattle, WA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Miami, FL — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Seattle, WA carries $1,100 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Seattle, WA leads with parks and recreation at $3,923 per resident, while Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Seattle, WA and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Seattle spends 22.2% more per capita than Miami ($6,267/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $0 |
| Other | $8,544 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $7,399 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $109 |
| Health | $1,131 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $699 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $1,295 |
| Other | $11,260 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.