Milwaukee, WI vs Albuquerque, NM

Milwaukee, WI and Albuquerque, NM spend within 12.6% of each other per resident — $19,417 versus $17,237 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990.

They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.