Spokane, WA vs Kent, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Spokane, WA spends 55% more per resident than Kent, WA: $16,224 against $10,491. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Spokane, WA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Kent, WA — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Spokane, WA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Kent, WA carries $905 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Spokane, WA leads with police at $2,475 per resident, while Kent, WA leads with parks and recreation at $1,448.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Spokane, WA at 38% of total revenue, whereas Kent, WA relies most on other revenue at 49%.
Summary
Spokane spends 54.6% more per capita than Kent ($5,733/person difference). Spokane, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $133 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $359 | $272 |
| Income Tax | $724 | $89 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,005 | $1,884 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,797 |
| Other | $3,063 | $4,935 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,475 | $413 |
| Fire Protection | $1,057 | $292 |
| Highways & Roads | $298 | -$10 |
| Public Welfare | $1,657 | $850 |
| Health | $8 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $224 | $207 |
| Parks & Recreation | $446 | $1,448 |
| Housing | $2,512 | $3,476 |
| Sewerage | $200 | $36 |
| Utilities | $1,624 | $1,474 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1 |
| Other | $5,722 | $2,306 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.