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

Seattle, WA vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Seattle spends 147.7% more per capita than Raleigh ($20,552/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Raleigh
Total Spending
$25.3B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$13,911
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$29,940
Total Debt
$808.1M
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$906
Population
734,603
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Seattle$1,461
Raleigh$6
Health
Seattle$1,131
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleRaleigh
Property Tax
$1,831
$0
Sales Tax
$1,094
$858
Income Tax
$3,496
$806
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$2,681
Other
$8,544
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleRaleigh
Fire Protection
$210
$277
Highways & Roads
$0
$448
Education
$1,461
$6
Public Welfare
$3,439
$498
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$669
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$1,391
Housing
$3,727
$2,712
Sewerage
$952
$281
Utilities
$6,489
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$11,260
$3,646
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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