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

Vancouver, WA vs Tacoma, WA

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

Summary

Tacoma spends 43.8% 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
Vancouver, WA
Pop. 190,700
D
45/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Tacoma, WA
Pop. 219,234
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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