Atlanta, GA vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA spends 31% more per resident than Milwaukee, WI: $25,457 against $19,417. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 23-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: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 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 Atlanta, GA at 6% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Atlanta spends 31.1% more per capita than Milwaukee ($6,040/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $0 |
| Other | $5,461 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $23 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $0 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,608 |
| Other | $8,262 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.