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

Seattle, WA vs San Jose, CA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 92.2% more per capita than San Jose ($16,528/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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 Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
San Jose
Total Spending
$25.3B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$17,934
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$38,091
Total Debt
$808.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$0
Population
734,603
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
San Jose$1,424
Education
Seattle$1,461
San Jose$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleSan Jose
Property Tax
$1,831
$40
Sales Tax
$1,094
$315
Income Tax
$3,496
$1,935
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$2,680
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$608
Other
$8,544
$3,519

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleSan Jose
Fire Protection
$210
$0
Education
$1,461
$0
Public Welfare
$3,439
$810
Health
$1,131
$609
Hospitals
$1,871
$1,254
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$1,424
Housing
$3,727
$4,897
Sewerage
$952
$161
Utilities
$6,489
$2,533
Other
$11,260
$6,247
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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