Milwaukee, WI vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $34,551 versus $19,417, a 78% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Chicago, IL on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 61/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Chicago, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Chicago spends 43.8% more per capita than Milwaukee ($15,134/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,847 |
| Other | $3,984 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,858 |
| Health | $1 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $122 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $9,385 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.