Milwaukee, WI vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $19,417 versus $9,085, a 114% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 20-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 Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 113.7% more per capita than Las Vegas ($10,332/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $1,137 |
| Other | $3,984 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $705 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $332 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $129 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.