Oshkosh, WI vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 35% more per resident than Oshkosh, WI: $19,417 against $14,411. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oshkosh, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 88/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 26-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: Oshkosh, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,346 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oshkosh, WI at 17% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 25.8% more per capita than Oshkosh ($5,006/person difference). Oshkosh, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 88/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,987 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $154 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,094 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,241 | $0 |
| Other | $3,339 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $173 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $127 | $23 |
| Education | $56 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,718 | $180 |
| Health | $601 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,346 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,296 | $1,071 |
| Utilities | $1,997 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,027 | $1,608 |
| Other | $4,956 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.