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

Houston, TX vs Milwaukee, WI

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

Summary

Milwaukee spends 25.8% more per capita than Houston ($5,017/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Milwaukee, WI
Pop. 573,299
C
62/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency91
Revenue Diversity1
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Milwaukee
Total Spending
$33.1B
$11.1B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$19,417
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$6.3B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$11,027
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
573,299
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Milwaukee$3,642
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Milwaukee$802
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Milwaukee$23
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Milwaukee$2,206
Health
Houston$210
Milwaukee$1

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonMilwaukee
Sales Tax
$181
$6,548
Income Tax
$39
$1
Intergovernmental
$33
$1,231
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$0
Other
$3,960
$3,984

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonMilwaukee
Police
$0
$3,642
Fire Protection
$295
$802
Highways & Roads
$175
$23
Public Welfare
$533
$180
Health
$210
$1
Hospitals
$511
$0
Parks & Recreation
$361
$2,206
Housing
$4,288
$1,071
Sewerage
$386
$0
Utilities
$1,339
$1,866
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,608
Other
$6,301
$8,018
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Milwaukee, WI
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health

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