Wichita, KS vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $19,417 versus $7,986, a 143% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Wichita, KS carries $132 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wichita, KS at 14% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 58.9% more per capita than Wichita ($11,431/person difference). Wichita, KS 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 | $246 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $0 |
| Other | $2,783 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $152 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $23 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $180 |
| Health | $254 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $1,071 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $1,608 |
| Other | $2,111 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.