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

Seattle, WA vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Seattle spends 45.6% more per capita than Portland ($10,788/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Portland
Total Spending
$25.3B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$23,675
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$47,970
Total Debt
$808.1M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$1,574
Population
734,603
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Portland$2,477
Education
Seattle$1,461
Portland$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattlePortland
Property Tax
$1,831
$0
Sales Tax
$1,094
$1,695
Income Tax
$3,496
$130
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$3,883
Other
$8,544
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattlePortland
Fire Protection
$210
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$0
$139
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$3,607
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$2,477
Housing
$3,727
$3,694
Sewerage
$952
$630
Utilities
$6,489
$1,845
Other
$11,260
$6,689
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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