Racine, WI vs Appleton, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI spends 58% more per resident than Appleton, WI: $24,108 against $15,241. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Appleton, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Racine, WI — a 17-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: Racine, WI leads with police at $2,604 per resident, while Appleton, WI leads with health at $684.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Racine, WI and 15% in Appleton, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 58.2% more per capita than Appleton ($8,868/person difference). Appleton, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $261 | $1,550 |
| Sales Tax | $174 | $558 |
| Income Tax | $23 | $226 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,150 | $5,693 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,875 |
| Other | $1,587 | $1,817 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,604 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $471 | $206 |
| Highways & Roads | $463 | $81 |
| Public Welfare | $1,459 | $2,412 |
| Health | $392 | $684 |
| Hospitals | $1 | $75 |
| Parks & Recreation | $555 | $661 |
| Housing | $4,227 | $2,686 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $130 |
| Utilities | $2,406 | $2,687 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,257 |
| Other | $11,532 | $4,363 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.