Jacksonville, FL vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $19,417, a 62% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jacksonville, FL at 14% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 62.0% more per capita than Milwaukee ($12,039/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $0 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $180 |
| Health | $332 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $1,608 |
| Other | $9,771 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.