Charlotte, NC vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 22% more per resident than Charlotte, NC: $19,417 against $15,854. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Charlotte, NC edges Milwaukee, WI on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 62/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Charlotte, NC at 10% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 18.4% more per capita than Charlotte ($3,564/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $0 |
| Other | $4,866 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $463 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $1,071 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $1,608 |
| Other | $3,448 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.