Milwaukee, WI vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 40% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $19,417 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Raleigh, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 47%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 39.6% more per capita than Raleigh ($5,506/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,681 |
| Other | $3,984 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $448 |
| Education | $0 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $498 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $281 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,513 |
| Other | $8,018 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.