Milwaukee, WI vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $19,417, a 62% 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 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Jacksonville, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 38.3% more per capita than Milwaukee ($12,039/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 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,119 |
| Other | $3,984 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $9,436 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $486 |
| Health | $1 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $176 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,942 |
| Other | $8,018 | $9,771 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.