Denver, CO vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $33,582 versus $19,417, a 73% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 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 Denver, CO at 37% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Denver spends 73.0% more per capita than Milwaukee ($14,165/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)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $0 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $23 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $180 |
| Health | $693 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $0 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $1,608 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.