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

Seattle, WA vs Tacoma, WA

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

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

City A
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Tacoma, WA
Pop. 219,234
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Tacoma
Total Spending
$25.3B
$5.2B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$23,896
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$18.9B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$86,417
Total Debt
$808.1M
$402.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$1,835
Population
734,603
219,234
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Tacoma$1,153
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Tacoma$1,048
Education
Seattle$1,461
Tacoma$1,396
Health
Seattle$1,131
Tacoma$283

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleTacoma
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)

SeattleTacoma
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
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tacoma, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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