Eau Claire, WI vs Janesville, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Janesville, WI and Eau Claire, WI spend within 0.9% of each other per resident — $15,888 versus $15,744 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Eau Claire, WI and Janesville, WI both land at 87/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
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: parks and recreation leads in Eau Claire, WI at $1,259 per resident and in Janesville, WI at $685.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Eau Claire, WI and 17% in Janesville, WI.
Summary
Janesville spends 0.9% more per capita than Eau Claire ($144/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $821 | $1,174 |
| Sales Tax | $320 | $330 |
| Income Tax | $125 | $1,322 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,252 | $3,366 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,772 | $2,055 |
| Other | $2,733 | $2,460 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5 |
| Fire Protection | $403 | $335 |
| Highways & Roads | $84 | $62 |
| Education | $67 | $31 |
| Public Welfare | $1,725 | $1,687 |
| Health | $734 | $669 |
| Hospitals | $169 | $821 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,259 | $685 |
| Housing | $2,608 | $2,327 |
| Sewerage | $104 | $193 |
| Utilities | $1,699 | $2,499 |
| Interest on Debt | $935 | $696 |
| Other | $5,957 | $5,877 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.