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

Seattle, WA vs Vancouver, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 156.5% more per capita than Vancouver ($21,028/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
Vancouver, WA
Pop. 190,700
D
45/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Vancouver
Total Spending
$25.3B
$2.6B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$13,434
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$1.1B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$5,713
Total Debt
$808.1M
$165.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$866
Population
734,603
190,700
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Vancouver$0
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Vancouver$871
Education
Seattle$1,461
Vancouver$3
Health
Seattle$1,131
Vancouver$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleVancouver
Property Tax
$1,831
$31
Sales Tax
$1,094
$456
Income Tax
$3,496
$140
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$141
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$2,641
Other
$8,544
$6,500

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleVancouver
Fire Protection
$210
$0
Education
$1,461
$3
Public Welfare
$3,439
$968
Health
$1,131
$0
Hospitals
$1,871
$661
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$871
Housing
$3,727
$3,594
Sewerage
$952
$241
Utilities
$6,489
$2,481
Other
$11,260
$4,615
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Vancouver, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health

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