Tacoma, WA vs Spokane, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tacoma, WA spends 47% more per resident than Spokane, WA: $23,896 against $16,224. 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 61/100 (grade C) for Tacoma, WA — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Spokane, WA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tacoma, WA carries $1,835 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tacoma, WA leads with education at $1,396 per resident, while Spokane, WA leads with police at $2,475.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 20% of total revenue in Tacoma, WA and 38% in Spokane, WA.
Summary
Tacoma spends 47.3% more per capita than Spokane ($7,672/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 | $131 | $133 |
| Sales Tax | $789 | $359 |
| Income Tax | $3,984 | $724 |
| Intergovernmental | $17,186 | $5,005 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,236 | $0 |
| Other | $6,696 | $3,063 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,475 |
| Fire Protection | $1,153 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $298 |
| Education | $1,396 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,807 | $1,657 |
| Health | $283 | $8 |
| Hospitals | $396 | $224 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,048 | $446 |
| Housing | $4,805 | $2,512 |
| Sewerage | $798 | $200 |
| Utilities | $5,418 | $1,624 |
| Other | $6,793 | $5,722 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.