Seattle, WA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA and Oakland, CA spend within 14.7% of each other per resident — $34,463 versus $30,055 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for Seattle, WA — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA 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 Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Seattle, WA and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Seattle spends 14.7% more per capita than Oakland ($4,408/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $0 |
| Other | $8,544 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $1 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $2,426 |
| Health | $1,131 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $955 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $0 |
| Other | $11,260 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.