Kenosha, WI vs Appleton, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kenosha, WI spends 25% more per resident than Appleton, WI: $19,120 against $15,241. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Appleton, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 72/100 (grade B) for Kenosha, WI — a 15-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: Kenosha, WI leads with police at $2,544 per resident, while Appleton, WI leads with health at $684.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Kenosha, WI and 15% in Appleton, WI.
Summary
Kenosha spends 25.5% more per capita than Appleton ($3,880/person difference). Appleton, 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 | $0 | $1,550 |
| Sales Tax | $477 | $558 |
| Income Tax | $19 | $226 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,020 | $5,693 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,875 |
| Other | $1,853 | $1,817 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,544 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $374 | $206 |
| Highways & Roads | $330 | $81 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $2,412 |
| Health | $259 | $684 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $75 |
| Parks & Recreation | $663 | $661 |
| Housing | $2,466 | $2,686 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $130 |
| Utilities | $4,909 | $2,687 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,257 |
| Other | $7,574 | $4,363 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.