Janesville, WI vs Racine, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI spends 52% more per resident than Janesville, WI: $24,108 against $15,888. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Janesville, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Racine, WI — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Racine, WI leads with police at $2,604.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Janesville, WI and 15% in Racine, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 34.1% more per capita than Janesville ($8,220/person difference). Janesville, 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 | $1,174 | $261 |
| Sales Tax | $330 | $174 |
| Income Tax | $1,322 | $23 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,366 | $3,150 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,055 | $0 |
| Other | $2,460 | $1,587 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5 | $2,604 |
| Fire Protection | $335 | $471 |
| Highways & Roads | $62 | $463 |
| Education | $31 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,687 | $1,459 |
| Health | $669 | $392 |
| Hospitals | $821 | $1 |
| Parks & Recreation | $685 | $555 |
| Housing | $2,327 | $4,227 |
| Sewerage | $193 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,499 | $2,406 |
| Interest on Debt | $696 | $0 |
| Other | $5,877 | $11,532 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.