How Seattle is run
Who runs Seattle, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Seattle's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Seattle
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Seattle city staff
13,718 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 1,879, Seattle Public Utilities 1,599, Fire 1,221. 2026 adopted budget. Citywide, including the library and the two pension funds. City of Seattle
The city publishes hourly pay rates by employee name on its open data portal. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Seattle in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The 2027-2028 proposed budget says each budget process since 2020 has begun with a projected general fund deficit, bridged with one-time funding, restricted revenues and temporary spending limits. The mayor says the proposal breaks that cycle and projects a balanced budget several years out, with over $50 million a year in general fund cuts and over $50 million a year in fund swaps. City of Seattle · Sep 22, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $303M (2025-12-31). City of Seattle · Jun 26, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for 2026 adopted.
Comes from
- Business and occupation tax$479M · 24%
- Property tax (incl. Medic One levy share)$402M · 20%
- Sales and use tax (incl. new public safety sales tax)$402M · 20%
- Utility taxes on City Light and Seattle Public Utilities$223M · 11%
- Transfers from other funds (mostly JumpStart payroll expense tax)$212M · 10%
- Utility taxes on private utilities$40.2M · 2%
- Other (licenses, fees, fines, parking, grants, service charges, interest)$261M · 13%
Goes to (2026 adopted)
- Police$483M · 24%
- Fire and emergency medical services$349M · 17%
- Human services (incl. homelessness)$286M · 14%
- Finance General (transfers to library, pensions, IT and other funds)$228M · 11%
- Parks and recreation$130M · 6%
- Finance and administrative services$71.3M · 4%
- Community Assisted Response and Engagement (911 and alternative response)$66.6M · 3%
- Other (courts, law, transportation, education, housing, planning and other departments)$398M · 20%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 34 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city ($3.12 of $9.20 per $1,000), most of it for special revenue levies such as the Seattle Park District.
34¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Seattle
- State of Washington2.247 · 24%
- City of Seattle (special revenue levies, incl. Seattle Park District)2.027 · 22%
- Seattle Public Schools1.881 · 20%
- King County (incl. EMS, flood and Sound Transit)1.845 · 20%
- City of Seattle (general fund)1.039 · 11%
- Port of Seattle0.102 · 1%
- City of Seattle (bond debt)0.055 · <1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)9.196
2025 levy-year rates for property in the city of Seattle (King County). City of Seattle · Jun 26, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Seattle is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySeattle Police DepartmentCity of Seattle
- Fire protectionThe citySeattle Fire DepartmentCity of Seattle
- Emergency medical servicesThe citySeattle Fire Department (aid and medic units)City of Seattle
- 911 call centerThe cityCommunity Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) DepartmentCity of Seattle
- WaterThe citySeattle Public UtilitiesCity of Seattle
- Sewer and drainageThe citySeattle Public Utilities collects; King County treats wastewaterCity of Seattle
- Garbage and recyclingContractorWaste Management and Recology (under contract with the city)City of Seattle
- ElectricityThe citySeattle City Light (city-owned utility)City of Seattle
- LibraryThe citySeattle Public Library (city library run by an appointed board)City of Seattle
- Parks and recreationThe citySeattle Parks and RecreationCity of Seattle
- StreetsThe citySeattle Department of TransportationCity of Seattle
Compared with other cities
Cities in other states, so read this for scale, not as a ranking. Comparisons with similar cities in the same state come as we cover more of them.
| Per city | WashingtonDC | DenverCO | SeattleWA | San FranciscoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 693,645 | 740,613 | 784,777 | 845,658 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) | Not confirmed | $397,160 |
| Council member pay | $176,694 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | $180,128 |
| General fund per resident | $19,880 | $2,263 | $2,564 | $8,986 |
| Debt per resident | $20,124 | $11,533 | $7,176 | $29,826 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $2,190 | $1,744 | $5,043 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 51.2 | 18.8 | 17.5 | 38.7 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Seattle publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 adopted budget is posted online as PDF chapters, including summary charts and tables. City of Seattle
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineSeattle has no city manager. The mayor runs the executive branch. We found no posted employment contracts for top appointees. City of Seattle
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 9-0 vote adopting the 2026 budget on Nov. 21, 2025. Seattle City Council
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city wage data lists hourly rates for councilmembers and the mayor. We found no document stating yearly pay. City of Seattle Open Data
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts hourly pay rates by employee name, department and job title on its open data portal. City of Seattle Open Data
Questions to ask your council
- The 2027-2028 proposed budget relies on over $50 million a year in general fund cuts and over $50 million a year in fund swaps. Which services change, and are the swaps one-time or ongoing?
- The 2026 general fund counts on $211.9 million in transfers, mostly from the JumpStart payroll expense tax. How much of that tax is now paying for existing services rather than new programs?
- The city's share of the Seattle City Employees' Retirement System net pension liability was $1.37 billion, with the plan 75.99% funded. When is the plan expected to be fully funded?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $303.4 million on December 31, 2025. How much of that should be held back for a downturn?
The fiscal year is the calendar year, starting January 1. The mayor submits the proposed budget to the council in late September. The council holds public hearings and committee meetings and adopts the budget in late November. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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