Racine, WI vs Janesville, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Racine, WI spends 52% more per resident than Janesville, WI: $24,108 against $15,888. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Janesville, 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 Janesville, WI leads with parks and recreation at $685.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Racine, WI and 17% in Janesville, WI.
Summary
Racine spends 51.7% more per capita than Janesville ($8,220/person difference). Janesville, 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 | $1,174 |
| Sales Tax | $174 | $330 |
| Income Tax | $23 | $1,322 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,150 | $3,366 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,055 |
| Other | $1,587 | $2,460 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,604 | $5 |
| Fire Protection | $471 | $335 |
| Highways & Roads | $463 | $62 |
| Education | $0 | $31 |
| Public Welfare | $1,459 | $1,687 |
| Health | $392 | $669 |
| Hospitals | $1 | $821 |
| Parks & Recreation | $555 | $685 |
| Housing | $4,227 | $2,327 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $193 |
| Utilities | $2,406 | $2,499 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $696 |
| Other | $11,532 | $5,877 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.