Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY and Milwaukee, WI spend within 4.0% of each other per resident — $20,200 versus $19,417 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries $3,553 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY at 103% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 4.0% more per capita than Milwaukee ($783/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,138 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $24 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $412 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,823 | $0 |
| Other | $8,878 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $701 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $1,132 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Education | $956 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,849 | $180 |
| Health | $379 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $779 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,070 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,382 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $249 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,844 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,517 | $1,608 |
| Other | $5,344 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.