Seattle, WA vs Tacoma, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 44% more per resident than Tacoma, WA: $34,463 against $23,896. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Seattle, WA and Tacoma, WA both land at 61/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Seattle, WA carries the lighter load at $1,100 per resident versus $1,835 for Tacoma, WA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Seattle, WA leads with parks and recreation at $3,923 per resident, while Tacoma, WA leads with education at $1,396.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Seattle, WA and 20% in Tacoma, WA.
Summary
Seattle spends 44.2% more per capita than Tacoma ($10,567/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $131 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $789 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $3,984 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $17,186 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $5,236 |
| Other | $8,544 | $6,696 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $210 | $1,153 |
| Education | $1,461 | $1,396 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $1,807 |
| Health | $1,131 | $283 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $396 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $1,048 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $4,805 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $798 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $5,418 |
| Other | $11,260 | $6,793 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.