Dallas, TX vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $19,417, a 79% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Dallas, TX at $1,519 per resident and in Milwaukee, WI at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Dallas, TX at 22% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Dallas spends 79.5% more per capita than Milwaukee ($15,432/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $25 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,223 | $1,231 |
| Other | $584 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $305 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $201 | $23 |
| Education | $62 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $215 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $385 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $444 | $1,071 |
| Utilities | $833 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,608 |
| General Admin | $25,827 | $0 |
| Other | $5,059 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.