Tacoma, WA vs Vancouver, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tacoma, WA outspends Vancouver, WA by a wide margin per resident — $23,896 versus $13,434, a 78% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Tacoma, WA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Vancouver, WA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Vancouver, WA carries the lighter load at $866 per resident versus $1,835 for Tacoma, WA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tacoma, WA leads with education at $1,396 per resident, while Vancouver, WA leads with parks and recreation at $871.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tacoma, WA at 20% of total revenue, whereas Vancouver, WA relies most on other revenue at 114%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.