Milwaukee, WI vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $19,417, a 340% 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 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 15-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Milwaukee, WI at $3,642 per resident and in Los Angeles, CA at $4,111.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Los Angeles, CA relies most on other revenue at 51%.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 77.3% more per capita than Milwaukee ($66,015/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 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $459 |
| Other | $3,984 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $503 |
| Education | $0 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,286 |
| Health | $1 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $34 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $630 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,586 |
| Other | $8,018 | $33,189 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.