Janesville, WI vs Waukesha, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waukesha, WI outspends Janesville, WI by a wide margin per resident — $38,315 versus $15,888, a 141% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Janesville, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Waukesha, WI — a 34-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 Waukesha, WI leads with police at $2,927.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Janesville, WI and 27% in Waukesha, WI.
Summary
Waukesha spends 58.5% more per capita than Janesville ($22,427/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 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $330 | $891 |
| Income Tax | $1,322 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,366 | $3,249 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,055 | $0 |
| Other | $2,460 | $2,389 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5 | $2,927 |
| Fire Protection | $335 | $856 |
| Highways & Roads | $62 | $1,204 |
| Education | $31 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,687 | $1,186 |
| Health | $669 | $523 |
| Hospitals | $821 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $685 | $1,677 |
| Housing | $2,327 | $4,755 |
| Sewerage | $193 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,499 | $6,106 |
| Interest on Debt | $696 | $88 |
| Other | $5,877 | $18,994 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.