Appleton, WI vs Eau Claire, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Eau Claire, WI and Appleton, WI spend within 3.3% of each other per resident — $15,744 versus $15,241 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Appleton, WI and Eau Claire, WI both land at 87/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Appleton, WI leads with health at $684 per resident, while Eau Claire, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,259.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Appleton, WI and 27% in Eau Claire, WI.
Summary
Eau Claire spends 3.2% more per capita than Appleton ($503/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,550 | $821 |
| Sales Tax | $558 | $320 |
| Income Tax | $226 | $125 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,693 | $9,252 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,875 | $1,772 |
| Other | $1,817 | $2,733 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $206 | $403 |
| Highways & Roads | $81 | $84 |
| Education | $0 | $67 |
| Public Welfare | $2,412 | $1,725 |
| Health | $684 | $734 |
| Hospitals | $75 | $169 |
| Parks & Recreation | $661 | $1,259 |
| Housing | $2,686 | $2,608 |
| Sewerage | $130 | $104 |
| Utilities | $2,687 | $1,699 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,257 | $935 |
| Other | $4,363 | $5,957 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.