Madison, WI vs Waukesha, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waukesha, WI outspends Madison, WI by a wide margin per resident — $38,315 versus $21,859, a 75% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Madison, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Waukesha, WI — a 34-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: Madison, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,572 per resident, while Waukesha, WI leads with police at $2,927.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Madison, WI and 27% in Waukesha, WI.
Summary
Waukesha spends 42.9% more per capita than Madison ($16,456/person difference). Madison, 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 | $770 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $1,178 | $891 |
| Income Tax | $32 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,913 | $3,249 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,755 | $0 |
| Other | $2,381 | $2,389 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,927 |
| Fire Protection | $264 | $856 |
| Highways & Roads | $47 | $1,204 |
| Education | $0 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,769 | $1,186 |
| Health | $744 | $523 |
| Hospitals | $1,664 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,572 | $1,677 |
| Housing | $3,100 | $4,755 |
| Sewerage | $166 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,406 | $6,106 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,451 | $88 |
| Other | $6,676 | $18,994 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.