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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Milwaukee, WI vs Seattle, WA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Seattle spends 43.7% more per capita than Milwaukee ($15,045/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Milwaukee, WI
Pop. 573,299
C
62/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency91
Revenue Diversity1
Trend Direction50
City B
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Milwaukee
Seattle
Total Spending
$11.1B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$19,417
$34,463
Total Revenue
$6.3B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$11,027
$76,958
Total Debt
$0
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,100
Population
573,299
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Milwaukee$3,642
Seattle$0
Fire Protection
Milwaukee$802
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Milwaukee$23
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Milwaukee$2,206
Seattle$3,923
Education
Milwaukee$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Milwaukee$1
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeSeattle
Property Tax
$0
$1,831
Sales Tax
$6,548
$1,094
Income Tax
$1
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$1,231
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,960
Other
$3,984
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeSeattle
Police
$3,642
$0
Fire Protection
$802
$210
Highways & Roads
$23
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$180
$3,439
Health
$1
$1,131
Hospitals
$0
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$2,206
$3,923
Housing
$1,071
$3,727
Sewerage
$0
$952
Utilities
$1,866
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$1,608
$0
Other
$8,018
$11,260
C
Milwaukee, WI
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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