Appleton, WI vs Janesville, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Janesville, WI and Appleton, WI spend within 4.2% of each other per resident — $15,888 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 Janesville, 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 Janesville, WI leads with parks and recreation at $685.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Appleton, WI and 17% in Janesville, WI.
Summary
Janesville spends 4.1% more per capita than Appleton ($647/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 | $1,174 |
| Sales Tax | $558 | $330 |
| Income Tax | $226 | $1,322 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,693 | $3,366 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,875 | $2,055 |
| Other | $1,817 | $2,460 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5 |
| Fire Protection | $206 | $335 |
| Highways & Roads | $81 | $62 |
| Education | $0 | $31 |
| Public Welfare | $2,412 | $1,687 |
| Health | $684 | $669 |
| Hospitals | $75 | $821 |
| Parks & Recreation | $661 | $685 |
| Housing | $2,686 | $2,327 |
| Sewerage | $130 | $193 |
| Utilities | $2,687 | $2,499 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,257 | $696 |
| Other | $4,363 | $5,877 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.