Milwaukee, WI vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI and San Jose, CA spend within 8.3% of each other per resident — $19,417 versus $17,934 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 28-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 San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 8.3% more per capita than San Jose ($1,483/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $608 |
| Other | $3,984 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $810 |
| Health | $1 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $161 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.