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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Milwaukee, WI vs Houston, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Milwaukee spends 34.8% more per capita than Houston ($5,017/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Milwaukee, WI
Pop. 573,299
C
62/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency91
Revenue Diversity1
Trend Direction50
City B
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Milwaukee
Houston
Total Spending
$11.1B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$19,417
$14,400
Total Revenue
$6.3B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$11,027
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
573,299
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Milwaukee$3,642
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Milwaukee$802
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Milwaukee$23
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Milwaukee$2,206
Houston$361
Health
Milwaukee$1
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeHouston
Sales Tax
$6,548
$181
Income Tax
$1
$39
Intergovernmental
$1,231
$33
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,475
Other
$3,984
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeHouston
Police
$3,642
$0
Fire Protection
$802
$295
Highways & Roads
$23
$175
Public Welfare
$180
$533
Health
$1
$210
Hospitals
$0
$511
Parks & Recreation
$2,206
$361
Housing
$1,071
$4,288
Sewerage
$0
$386
Utilities
$1,866
$1,339
Interest on Debt
$1,608
$0
Other
$8,018
$6,301
C
Milwaukee, WI
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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