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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Rockford, IL vs Waukegan, IL

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Rockford spends 49.8% more per capita than Waukegan ($6,434/person difference). Waukegan, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Rockford, IL
Pop. 148,173
C
59/100
Budget Balance36
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency65
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Waukegan, IL
Pop. 89,435
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Rockford
Waukegan
Total Spending
$2.9B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$19,348
$12,915
Total Revenue
$915.4M
$4.3B
Revenue / Capita
$6,178
$48,533
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
148,173
89,435
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Parks & Recreation
Rockford$2,329
Waukegan$118
Health
Rockford$593
Waukegan$458

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RockfordWaukegan
Sales Tax
$749
$32
Intergovernmental
$6,178
$4,312
Charges & Fees
$2,152
$1,728
Other
$2,314
$1,050

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RockfordWaukegan
Public Welfare
$724
$984
Health
$593
$458
Hospitals
$0
$377
Parks & Recreation
$2,329
$118
Housing
$4,267
$5,135
Sewerage
$0
$311
Utilities
$1,320
$1,645
Other
$10,115
$3,888
C
Rockford, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
A
Waukegan, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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