Milwaukee, WI vs Fort Worth, TX

Milwaukee, WI spends 22% more per resident than Fort Worth, TX: $19,417 against $15,939. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Fort Worth, TX edges Milwaukee, WI on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 62/100 (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 Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708.

They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Fort Worth, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 15%.