Madison, WI vs Appleton, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Madison, WI spends 43% more per resident than Appleton, WI: $21,859 against $15,241. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Madison, WI and Appleton, WI both land at 87/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
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: Madison, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,572 per resident, while Appleton, WI leads with health at $684.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Madison, WI and 15% in Appleton, WI.
Summary
Madison spends 43.4% more per capita than Appleton ($6,618/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $770 | $1,550 |
| Sales Tax | $1,178 | $558 |
| Income Tax | $32 | $226 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,913 | $5,693 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,755 | $1,875 |
| Other | $2,381 | $1,817 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $264 | $206 |
| Highways & Roads | $47 | $81 |
| Education | $0 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,769 | $2,412 |
| Health | $744 | $684 |
| Hospitals | $1,664 | $75 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,572 | $661 |
| Housing | $3,100 | $2,686 |
| Sewerage | $166 | $130 |
| Utilities | $3,406 | $2,687 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,451 | $1,257 |
| Other | $6,676 | $4,363 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.