Milwaukee, WI vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY and Milwaukee, WI spend within 4.0% of each other per resident — $20,200 versus $19,417 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries $3,553 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 3.9% more per capita than Milwaukee ($783/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)
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,823 |
| Other | $3,984 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,849 |
| Health | $1 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,517 |
| Other | $8,018 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.