Appleton, WI vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 27% more per resident than Appleton, WI: $19,417 against $15,241. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Appleton, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Appleton, WI at 15% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 21.5% more per capita than Appleton ($4,176/person difference). Appleton, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,550 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $558 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $226 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,693 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,875 | $0 |
| Other | $1,817 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $206 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $81 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $2,412 | $180 |
| Health | $684 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $75 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $661 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,686 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $130 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,687 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,257 | $1,608 |
| Other | $4,363 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.