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

Seattle, WA vs Oakland, CA

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

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

City A
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Oakland, CA
Pop. 437,825
B
72/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency43
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Oakland
Total Spending
$25.3B
$13.2B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$30,055
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$18.5B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$42,277
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
437,825
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Oakland$1
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Oakland$955
Education
Seattle$1,461
Oakland$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Oakland$1,016

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleOakland
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)

SeattleOakland
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
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Oakland, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 72/100
Good fiscal health

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