Waukesha, WI vs Madison, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waukesha, WI outspends Madison, WI by a wide margin per resident — $38,315 versus $21,859, a 75% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Madison, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Waukesha, WI — a 34-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: Waukesha, WI leads with police at $2,927 per resident, while Madison, WI leads with parks and recreation at $1,572.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Waukesha, WI and 19% in Madison, WI.
Summary
Waukesha spends 75.3% more per capita than Madison ($16,456/person difference). Madison, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $770 |
| Sales Tax | $891 | $1,178 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $32 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,249 | $7,913 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,755 |
| Other | $2,389 | $2,381 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,927 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $856 | $264 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,204 | $47 |
| Education | $0 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,186 | $1,769 |
| Health | $523 | $744 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,677 | $1,572 |
| Housing | $4,755 | $3,100 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $166 |
| Utilities | $6,106 | $3,406 |
| Interest on Debt | $88 | $2,451 |
| Other | $18,994 | $6,676 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.