Janesville, WI vs Appleton, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Janesville, WI and Appleton, WI spend within 4.2% of each other per resident — $15,888 versus $15,241 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Janesville, WI and Appleton, WI both land at 87/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
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: Janesville, WI leads with parks and recreation at $685 per resident, while Appleton, WI leads with health at $684.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Janesville, WI and 15% in Appleton, WI.
Summary
Janesville spends 4.2% more per capita than Appleton ($647/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,174 | $1,550 |
| Sales Tax | $330 | $558 |
| Income Tax | $1,322 | $226 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,366 | $5,693 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,055 | $1,875 |
| Other | $2,460 | $1,817 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $335 | $206 |
| Highways & Roads | $62 | $81 |
| Education | $31 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,687 | $2,412 |
| Health | $669 | $684 |
| Hospitals | $821 | $75 |
| Parks & Recreation | $685 | $661 |
| Housing | $2,327 | $2,686 |
| Sewerage | $193 | $130 |
| Utilities | $2,499 | $2,687 |
| Interest on Debt | $696 | $1,257 |
| Other | $5,877 | $4,363 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.