Eau Claire, WI vs Waukesha, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waukesha, WI outspends Eau Claire, WI by a wide margin per resident — $38,315 versus $15,744, a 143% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Eau Claire, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Waukesha, WI — a 34-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 Waukesha, WI leads with police at $2,927.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Eau Claire, WI and 27% in Waukesha, WI.
Summary
Waukesha spends 58.9% more per capita than Eau Claire ($22,572/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 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $320 | $891 |
| Income Tax | $125 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,252 | $3,249 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,772 | $0 |
| Other | $2,733 | $2,389 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,927 |
| Fire Protection | $403 | $856 |
| Highways & Roads | $84 | $1,204 |
| Education | $67 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,725 | $1,186 |
| Health | $734 | $523 |
| Hospitals | $169 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,259 | $1,677 |
| Housing | $2,608 | $4,755 |
| Sewerage | $104 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,699 | $6,106 |
| Interest on Debt | $935 | $88 |
| Other | $5,957 | $18,994 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.