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

Tacoma, WA vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 30.7% more per capita than Tacoma ($10,567/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

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

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TacomaSeattle
Property Tax
$131
$1,831
Sales Tax
$789
$1,094
Income Tax
$3,984
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$17,186
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$5,236
$3,960
Other
$6,696
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TacomaSeattle
Fire Protection
$1,153
$210
Education
$1,396
$1,461
Public Welfare
$1,807
$3,439
Health
$283
$1,131
Hospitals
$396
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$1,048
$3,923
Housing
$4,805
$3,727
Sewerage
$798
$952
Utilities
$5,418
$6,489
Other
$6,793
$11,260
C
Tacoma, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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