Waukegan, IL vs Elgin, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Elgin, IL and Waukegan, IL spend within 10.2% of each other per resident — $14,229 versus $12,915 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Waukegan, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 58/100 (grade C) for Elgin, IL — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Waukegan, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Elgin, IL carries $617 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Waukegan, IL leads with health at $458 per resident, while Elgin, IL leads with parks and recreation at $1,641.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Waukegan, IL at 9% of total revenue, whereas Elgin, IL relies most on charges and fees at 43%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.