Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Joliet, IL vs Waukegan, IL

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

Summary

Joliet spends 44.6% more per capita than Waukegan ($5,760/person difference). Waukegan, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Joliet, IL
Pop. 150,221
D
40/100
Budget Balance37
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Waukegan, IL
Pop. 89,435
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Joliet
Waukegan
Total Spending
$2.8B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$18,675
$12,915
Total Revenue
$2.0B
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$13,072
$48,533
Total Debt
$639.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$4,260
$0
Population
150,221
89,435
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Joliet$208
Waukegan$0
Highways & Roads
Joliet$165
Waukegan$0
Parks & Recreation
Joliet$459
Waukegan$118
Health
Joliet$450
Waukegan$458

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

JolietWaukegan
Sales Tax
$323
$32
Income Tax
$1,006
$0
Intergovernmental
$12,066
$4,312
Charges & Fees
$2,156
$1,728
Other
$3,429
$1,050

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

JolietWaukegan
Fire Protection
$208
$0
Highways & Roads
$165
$0
Public Welfare
$2,118
$984
Health
$450
$458
Hospitals
$485
$377
Parks & Recreation
$459
$118
Housing
$3,292
$5,135
Sewerage
$94
$311
Utilities
$3,400
$1,645
Other
$8,005
$3,888
D
Joliet, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 40/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Waukegan, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities