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

Seattle, WA vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 81.3% more per capita than Seattle ($149,669/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
San Francisco
Total Spending
$25.3B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$184,131
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$272,907
Total Debt
$808.1M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$2,031
Population
734,603
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Seattle$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
San Francisco$2,281
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Seattle$1,461
San Francisco$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleSan Francisco
Property Tax
$1,831
$148
Sales Tax
$1,094
$3,028
Income Tax
$3,496
$269
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$7,961
Other
$8,544
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$210
$2,281
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$2,203
Health
$1,131
$1,911
Hospitals
$1,871
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$4,119
Housing
$3,727
$9,315
Sewerage
$952
$1,423
Utilities
$6,489
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$11,260
$93,702
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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