Vancouver, WA vs Spokane, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Spokane, WA spends 21% more per resident than Vancouver, WA: $16,224 against $13,434. 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 45/100 (grade D) for Vancouver, WA — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Spokane, WA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Vancouver, WA carries $866 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Vancouver, WA leads with parks and recreation at $871 per resident, while Spokane, WA leads with police at $2,475.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Vancouver, WA at 114% of total revenue, whereas Spokane, WA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 38%.
Summary
Spokane spends 17.2% more per capita than Vancouver ($2,789/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 | $31 | $133 |
| Sales Tax | $456 | $359 |
| Income Tax | $140 | $724 |
| Intergovernmental | $141 | $5,005 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,641 | $0 |
| Other | $6,500 | $3,063 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,475 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $298 |
| Education | $3 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $968 | $1,657 |
| Health | $0 | $8 |
| Hospitals | $661 | $224 |
| Parks & Recreation | $871 | $446 |
| Housing | $3,594 | $2,512 |
| Sewerage | $241 | $200 |
| Utilities | $2,481 | $1,624 |
| Other | $4,615 | $5,722 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.