Milwaukee, WI vs Phoenix, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 23% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $19,417 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ edges Milwaukee, WI on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 67/100 (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 Phoenix, AZ carries $1,156 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Phoenix, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $652.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Phoenix, AZ relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 22.9% more per capita than Phoenix ($3,624/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $7 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $338 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $1,260 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $50,709 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,998 |
| Other | $3,984 | $2,038 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $170 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $86 |
| Education | $0 | $214 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $507 |
| Health | $1 | $258 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,521 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $652 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $3,879 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $388 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,480 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,760 |
| Other | $8,018 | $3,878 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.