Racine, WI vs Eau Claire, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI spends 53% more per resident than Eau Claire, WI: $24,108 against $15,744. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Eau Claire, 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 Eau Claire, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,259.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Racine, WI and 27% in Eau Claire, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 53.1% more per capita than Eau Claire ($8,365/person difference). Eau Claire, 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 | $821 |
| Sales Tax | $174 | $320 |
| Income Tax | $23 | $125 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,150 | $9,252 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,772 |
| Other | $1,587 | $2,733 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,604 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $471 | $403 |
| Highways & Roads | $463 | $84 |
| Education | $0 | $67 |
| Public Welfare | $1,459 | $1,725 |
| Health | $392 | $734 |
| Hospitals | $1 | $169 |
| Parks & Recreation | $555 | $1,259 |
| Housing | $4,227 | $2,608 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $104 |
| Utilities | $2,406 | $1,699 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $935 |
| Other | $11,532 | $5,957 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.