Milwaukee, WI vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $19,417, a 123% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 12-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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.
Summary
Fresno spends 55.2% more per capita than Milwaukee ($23,970/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 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $11 |
| Other | $3,984 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $568 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,946 |
| Health | $1 | $599 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $76 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,856 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $255 |
| Other | $8,018 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.