Milwaukee, WI vs Minneapolis, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Minneapolis, MN and Milwaukee, WI spend within 12.8% of each other per resident — $21,910 versus $19,417 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Minneapolis, MN edges Milwaukee, WI on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 62/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Minneapolis, MN carries $644 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Minneapolis, MN leads with parks and recreation at $3,486.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Minneapolis, MN relies most on other revenue at 17%.
Summary
Minneapolis spends 11.4% more per capita than Milwaukee ($2,493/person difference). Minneapolis, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $1,989 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $994 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $2,929 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,040 |
| Other | $3,984 | $3,254 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $683 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $221 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,500 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $3,486 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $570 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,398 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $8,919 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.