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

Spokane, WA vs Tacoma, WA

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

Summary

Tacoma spends 32.1% more per capita than Spokane ($7,672/person difference). Spokane, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Spokane, WA
Pop. 227,922
B
70/100
Budget Balance37
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity82
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
Spokane
Tacoma
Total Spending
$3.7B
$5.2B
Spending / Capita
$16,224
$23,896
Total Revenue
$3.0B
$18.9B
Revenue / Capita
$13,098
$86,417
Total Debt
$0
$402.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,835
Population
227,922
219,234
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Spokane$2,475
Tacoma$0
Fire Protection
Spokane$1,057
Tacoma$1,153
Highways & Roads
Spokane$298
Tacoma$0
Parks & Recreation
Spokane$446
Tacoma$1,048
Education
Spokane$0
Tacoma$1,396
Health
Spokane$8
Tacoma$283

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SpokaneTacoma
Property Tax
$133
$131
Sales Tax
$359
$789
Income Tax
$724
$3,984
Intergovernmental
$5,005
$17,186
Charges & Fees
$0
$5,236
Other
$3,063
$6,696

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SpokaneTacoma
Police
$2,475
$0
Fire Protection
$1,057
$1,153
Highways & Roads
$298
$0
Education
$0
$1,396
Public Welfare
$1,657
$1,807
Health
$8
$283
Hospitals
$224
$396
Parks & Recreation
$446
$1,048
Housing
$2,512
$4,805
Sewerage
$200
$798
Utilities
$1,624
$5,418
Other
$5,722
$6,793
B
Spokane, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
C
Tacoma, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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