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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Waukegan, IL vs Naperville, IL

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Naperville, IL spends 22% more per resident than Waukegan, IL: $15,751 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 45/100 (grade D) for Naperville, IL — a 45-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Waukegan, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Naperville, IL carries $1,028 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: health leads in Waukegan, IL at $458 per resident and in Naperville, IL at $1,028.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Waukegan, IL at 9% of total revenue, whereas Naperville, IL relies most on charges and fees at 68%.

Summary

Naperville spends 18.0% more per capita than Waukegan ($2,836/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
Naperville, IL
Pop. 149,089
D
45/100
Budget Balance24
Debt Burden27
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency87
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Waukegan
Naperville
Total Spending
$1.2B
$2.3B
Spending / Capita
$12,915
$15,751
Total Revenue
$4.3B
$1.0B
Revenue / Capita
$48,533
$6,975
Total Debt
$0
$153.2M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,028
Population
89,435
149,089
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Parks & Recreation
Waukegan$118
Naperville$544
Health
Waukegan$458
Naperville$1,028

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaukeganNaperville
Sales Tax
$32
$0
Intergovernmental
$4,312
$458
Charges & Fees
$1,728
$4,765
Other
$1,050
$2,388

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WaukeganNaperville
Public Welfare
$984
$0
Health
$458
$1,028
Hospitals
$377
$0
Parks & Recreation
$118
$544
Housing
$5,135
$0
Sewerage
$311
$0
Utilities
$1,645
$4,527
Other
$3,888
$9,652
A
Waukegan, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Naperville, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.