Oshkosh, WI vs Racine, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI outspends Oshkosh, WI by a wide margin per resident — $24,108 versus $14,411, a 67% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oshkosh, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 88/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Racine, WI — a 18-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 Racine, WI leads with police at $2,604.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Oshkosh, WI and 15% in Racine, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 40.2% more per capita than Oshkosh ($9,697/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 | $261 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $174 |
| Income Tax | $154 | $23 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,094 | $3,150 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,241 | $0 |
| Other | $3,339 | $1,587 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,604 |
| Fire Protection | $173 | $471 |
| Highways & Roads | $127 | $463 |
| Education | $56 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,718 | $1,459 |
| Health | $601 | $392 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $1 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,346 | $555 |
| Housing | $2,296 | $4,227 |
| Utilities | $1,997 | $2,406 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,027 | $0 |
| Other | $4,956 | $11,532 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.