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

Tacoma, WA vs Vancouver, WA

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

Summary

Tacoma spends 77.9% more per capita than Vancouver ($10,461/person difference). Tacoma, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Vancouver, WA
Pop. 190,700
D
45/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tacoma
Vancouver
Total Spending
$5.2B
$2.6B
Spending / Capita
$23,896
$13,434
Total Revenue
$18.9B
$1.1B
Revenue / Capita
$86,417
$5,713
Total Debt
$402.3M
$165.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,835
$866
Population
219,234
190,700
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tacoma$1,153
Vancouver$0
Parks & Recreation
Tacoma$1,048
Vancouver$871
Education
Tacoma$1,396
Vancouver$3
Health
Tacoma$283
Vancouver$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TacomaVancouver
Property Tax
$131
$31
Sales Tax
$789
$456
Income Tax
$3,984
$140
Intergovernmental
$17,186
$141
Charges & Fees
$5,236
$2,641
Other
$6,696
$6,500

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TacomaVancouver
Fire Protection
$1,153
$0
Education
$1,396
$3
Public Welfare
$1,807
$968
Health
$283
$0
Hospitals
$396
$661
Parks & Recreation
$1,048
$871
Housing
$4,805
$3,594
Sewerage
$798
$241
Utilities
$5,418
$2,481
Other
$6,793
$4,615
C
Tacoma, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Vancouver, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health

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