Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Waukegan, IL vs Elgin, IL

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

Summary

Elgin spends 9.2% more per capita than Waukegan ($1,315/person difference). Waukegan, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Waukegan, IL
Pop. 89,435
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Elgin, IL
Pop. 114,190
C
58/100
Budget Balance20
Debt Burden76
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity34
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Waukegan
Elgin
Total Spending
$1.2B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$12,915
$14,229
Total Revenue
$4.3B
$603.5M
Revenue / Capita
$48,533
$5,285
Total Debt
$0
$70.4M
Debt / Capita
$0
$617
Population
89,435
114,190
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Waukegan$0
Elgin$222
Highways & Roads
Waukegan$0
Elgin$116
Parks & Recreation
Waukegan$118
Elgin$1,641
Education
Waukegan$0
Elgin$53
Health
Waukegan$458
Elgin$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaukeganElgin
Sales Tax
$32
$754
Income Tax
$0
$651
Intergovernmental
$4,312
$1,170
Charges & Fees
$1,728
$2,267
Other
$1,050
$1,754

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaukeganElgin
Fire Protection
$0
$222
Highways & Roads
$0
$116
Education
$0
$53
Public Welfare
$984
$718
Health
$458
$0
Hospitals
$377
$0
Parks & Recreation
$118
$1,641
Housing
$5,135
$4,472
Sewerage
$311
$0
Utilities
$1,645
$2,850
Other
$3,888
$4,159
A
Waukegan, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Elgin, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities