Sacramento, CA vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $19,417, a 266% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Sacramento, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Sacramento, CA at $5,402 per resident and in Milwaukee, WI at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 265.8% more per capita than Milwaukee ($51,603/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $0 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $180 |
| Health | $18 | $1 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $0 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $1,608 |
| Other | $26,782 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.