Joliet, IL vs Waukegan, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Joliet, IL spends 45% more per resident than Waukegan, IL: $18,675 against $12,915. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Waukegan, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 40/100 (grade D) for Joliet, IL — a 50-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Waukegan, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Joliet, IL carries $4,260 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Joliet, IL leads with parks and recreation at $459 per resident, while Waukegan, IL leads with health at $458.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 92% of total revenue in Joliet, IL and 9% in Waukegan, IL.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.