San Francisco, CA vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $19,417, a 848% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — 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 San Francisco, CA carries $2,031 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119 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 San Francisco, CA at 7% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
San Francisco spends 848.3% more per capita than Milwaukee ($164,714/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 | $148 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $0 |
| Other | $18,918 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $180 |
| Health | $1,911 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $0 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $1,608 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $0 |
| Other | $93,702 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.