Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Vancouver, WA vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 61.0% more per capita than Vancouver ($21,028/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Vancouver, WA
Pop. 190,700
D
45/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
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
Vancouver
Seattle
Total Spending
$2.6B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$13,434
$34,463
Total Revenue
$1.1B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$5,713
$76,958
Total Debt
$165.1M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$866
$1,100
Population
190,700
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Vancouver$0
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
Vancouver$871
Seattle$3,923
Education
Vancouver$3
Seattle$1,461
Health
Vancouver$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

VancouverSeattle
Property Tax
$31
$1,831
Sales Tax
$456
$1,094
Income Tax
$140
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$141
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,641
$3,960
Other
$6,500
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

VancouverSeattle
Fire Protection
$0
$210
Education
$3
$1,461
Public Welfare
$968
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$661
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$871
$3,923
Housing
$3,594
$3,727
Sewerage
$241
$952
Utilities
$2,481
$6,489
Other
$4,615
$11,260
D
Vancouver, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities