Eau Claire, WI vs Racine, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI spends 53% more per resident than Eau Claire, WI: $24,108 against $15,744. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Eau Claire, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Racine, WI — a 17-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: Eau Claire, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,259 per resident, while Racine, WI leads with police at $2,604.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Eau Claire, WI and 15% in Racine, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 34.7% more per capita than Eau Claire ($8,365/person difference). Eau Claire, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $821 | $261 |
| Sales Tax | $320 | $174 |
| Income Tax | $125 | $23 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,252 | $3,150 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,772 | $0 |
| Other | $2,733 | $1,587 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,604 |
| Fire Protection | $403 | $471 |
| Highways & Roads | $84 | $463 |
| Education | $67 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,725 | $1,459 |
| Health | $734 | $392 |
| Hospitals | $169 | $1 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,259 | $555 |
| Housing | $2,608 | $4,227 |
| Sewerage | $104 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,699 | $2,406 |
| Interest on Debt | $935 | $0 |
| Other | $5,957 | $11,532 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.