Tucson, AZ vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 23% more per resident than Tucson, AZ: $19,417 against $15,759. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Milwaukee, WI edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229 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 Tucson, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 18.8% more per capita than Tucson ($3,658/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 | $5 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $0 |
| Other | $952 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $330 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $1,071 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $1,608 |
| Other | $3,322 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.