Milwaukee, WI vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $19,417, a 190% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Philadelphia, PA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 16%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 65.5% more per capita than Milwaukee ($36,855/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 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,984 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,456 |
| Health | $1 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $593 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $325 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $3 |
| Other | $8,018 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.