Milwaukee, WI vs Oshkosh, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 35% more per resident than Oshkosh, WI: $19,417 against $14,411. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oshkosh, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 88/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 26-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 Oshkosh, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,346.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Oshkosh, WI relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 34.7% more per capita than Oshkosh ($5,006/person difference). Oshkosh, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 88/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,987 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $154 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $14,094 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,241 |
| Other | $3,984 | $3,339 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $173 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $127 |
| Education | $0 | $56 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,718 |
| Health | $1 | $601 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,346 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,296 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $1,997 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,027 |
| Other | $8,018 | $4,956 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.