Waukegan, IL vs Peoria, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waukegan, IL outspends Peoria, IL by a wide margin per resident — $12,915 versus $7,629, a 69% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Waukegan, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade B) for Peoria, IL — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Waukegan, IL leads with health at $458 per resident, while Peoria, IL leads with police at $1,088.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 9% of total revenue in Waukegan, IL and 37% in Peoria, IL.
Summary
Waukegan spends 69.3% more per capita than Peoria ($5,286/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 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $18 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,312 | $1,954 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,728 | $0 |
| Other | $1,050 | $1,543 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,088 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $129 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $200 |
| Public Welfare | $984 | $1,314 |
| Health | $458 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $377 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $118 | $0 |
| Housing | $5,135 | $787 |
| Sewerage | $311 | $64 |
| Utilities | $1,645 | $171 |
| Other | $3,888 | $3,876 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.