Green Bay, WI vs Madison, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Madison, WI spends 50% more per resident than Green Bay, WI: $21,859 against $14,610. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Madison, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 77/100 (grade B) for Green Bay, WI — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Madison, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Green Bay, WI carries $542 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Green Bay, WI at $999 per resident and in Madison, WI at $1,572.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Green Bay, WI at 16% of total revenue, whereas Madison, WI relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 19%.
Summary
Madison spends 33.2% more per capita than Green Bay ($7,249/person difference). Madison, 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 | $90 | $770 |
| Sales Tax | $528 | $1,178 |
| Income Tax | $21 | $32 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,739 | $7,913 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,503 | $1,755 |
| Other | $4,494 | $2,381 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $231 | $264 |
| Highways & Roads | $47 | $47 |
| Education | $0 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,260 | $1,769 |
| Health | $0 | $744 |
| Hospitals | $12 | $1,664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $999 | $1,572 |
| Housing | $2,820 | $3,100 |
| Sewerage | $155 | $166 |
| Utilities | $3,114 | $3,406 |
| Interest on Debt | $892 | $2,451 |
| Other | $5,081 | $6,676 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.