Springfield, IL vs Waukegan, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Springfield, IL spends 22% more per resident than Waukegan, IL: $15,771 against $12,915. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Waukegan, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 68/100 (grade B) for Springfield, IL — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Waukegan, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Springfield, IL carries $2,441 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Springfield, IL leads with highways and roads at $1,079 per resident, while Waukegan, IL leads with health at $458.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Springfield, IL and 9% in Waukegan, IL.
Summary
Springfield spends 22.1% more per capita than Waukegan ($2,856/person difference). Waukegan, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $26 | $32 |
| Intergovernmental | $18,701 | $4,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,314 | $1,728 |
| Other | $1,274 | $1,050 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Highways & Roads | $1,079 | $0 |
| Education | $106 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,275 | $984 |
| Health | $388 | $458 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $377 |
| Parks & Recreation | $325 | $118 |
| Housing | $0 | $5,135 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $311 |
| Utilities | $1,570 | $1,645 |
| Other | $11,028 | $3,888 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.