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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Elgin, IL vs Waukegan, IL

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Elgin spends 10.2% more per capita than Waukegan ($1,315/person difference). Waukegan, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Elgin, IL
Pop. 114,190
C
58/100
Budget Balance20
Debt Burden76
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity34
Trend Direction50
City B
Waukegan, IL
Pop. 89,435
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Elgin
Waukegan
Total Spending
$1.6B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$14,229
$12,915
Total Revenue
$603.5M
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$5,285
$48,533
Total Debt
$70.4M
$0
Debt / Capita
$617
$0
Population
114,190
89,435
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Elgin$222
Waukegan$0
Highways & Roads
Elgin$116
Waukegan$0
Parks & Recreation
Elgin$1,641
Waukegan$118
Education
Elgin$53
Waukegan$0
Health
Elgin$0
Waukegan$458

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ElginWaukegan
Sales Tax
$754
$32
Income Tax
$651
$0
Intergovernmental
$1,170
$4,312
Charges & Fees
$2,267
$1,728
Other
$1,754
$1,050

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ElginWaukegan
Fire Protection
$222
$0
Highways & Roads
$116
$0
Education
$53
$0
Public Welfare
$718
$984
Health
$0
$458
Hospitals
$0
$377
Parks & Recreation
$1,641
$118
Housing
$4,472
$5,135
Sewerage
$0
$311
Utilities
$2,850
$1,645
Other
$4,159
$3,888
C
Elgin, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health
A
Waukegan, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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