Raleigh, NC vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 40% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $19,417 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391 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 Raleigh, NC at 47% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 28.4% more per capita than Raleigh ($5,506/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $858 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $0 |
| Other | $4,740 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $277 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $23 |
| Education | $6 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $1,608 |
| Other | $3,646 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.