Milwaukee, WI vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $19,417, a 79% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Milwaukee, WI at $3,642 per resident and in Dallas, TX at $1,519.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.
Summary
Dallas spends 44.3% more per capita than Milwaukee ($15,432/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 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $1,223 |
| Other | $3,984 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $215 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $0 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $444 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $8,018 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.