Milwaukee, WI vs Eau Claire, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 23% more per resident than Eau Claire, WI: $19,417 against $15,744. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Eau Claire, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 25-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: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Eau Claire, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,259.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Eau Claire, WI relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 27%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 23.3% more per capita than Eau Claire ($3,673/person difference). Eau Claire, 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 | $0 | $821 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $320 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $125 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $9,252 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,772 |
| Other | $3,984 | $2,733 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $403 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $84 |
| Education | $0 | $67 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,725 |
| Health | $1 | $734 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $169 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,259 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,608 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $104 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $1,699 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $935 |
| Other | $8,018 | $5,957 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.