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

Seattle, WA vs Washington, DC

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

Summary

Washington spends 85.8% more per capita than Seattle ($208,878/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
Washington, DC
Pop. 670,587
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Seattle
Washington
Total Spending
$25.3B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$243,341
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$277,701
Total Debt
$808.1M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$2,516
Population
734,603
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Seattle$0
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Washington$5,459
Education
Seattle$1,461
Washington$53,224
Health
Seattle$1,131
Washington$1,009

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleWashington
Property Tax
$1,831
$25
Sales Tax
$1,094
$991
Income Tax
$3,496
$141
Intergovernmental
$9,846
$18,754
Charges & Fees
$3,960
$4,070
Other
$8,544
$11,518

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SeattleWashington
Police
$0
$4,183
Fire Protection
$210
$4,262
Highways & Roads
$0
$1,435
Education
$1,461
$53,224
Public Welfare
$3,439
$2,498
Health
$1,131
$1,009
Hospitals
$1,871
$17,668
Parks & Recreation
$3,923
$5,459
Housing
$3,727
$10,296
Sewerage
$952
$2,881
Utilities
$6,489
$88,990
Interest on Debt
$0
$58
General Admin
$0
$3,225
Other
$11,260
$48,155
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health

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