Milwaukee, WI vs Tucson, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 23% more per resident than Tucson, AZ: $19,417 against $15,759. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Milwaukee, WI edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (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 Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Tucson, AZ relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 23.2% more per capita than Tucson ($3,658/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $309 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $1,107 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $23,276 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $4,534 |
| Other | $3,984 | $952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $330 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $1,181 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,314 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,229 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $3,091 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $3,555 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $1,735 |
| Other | $8,018 | $3,322 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.