City government · Milwaukee County, WI

Milwaukee's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Milwaukee took in $1.46 billion and spent $1.37 billion.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes27%Fees for services (sewer, water)27%State tax money20%Federal tax money14%Fines and other6.2%County and local tax money5.8%

What stands out

20%

of Milwaukee's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.4%.

City taxes27%

Property tax
25%$364 million
Other taxes
2.0%$29.1 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; motor vehicle licenses and 2 more
  • Other licenses$14.4 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$8.9 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$5.3 million
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$539 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$388 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 9 more
  • Sewer$93.1 million
  • Water$91.4 million
  • Road charges$65.6 million
  • Garbage collection$52.3 million
  • Other service charges$35.1 million
  • Parking$34.9 million
  • Ports and waterways$6.7 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$4.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$2.8 million
  • Transit fares$1.4 million
  • Housing$669 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money14%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
14%$210 million

State tax money20%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
20%$295 million

County and local tax money5.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
5.8%$84.2 million

Fines and other6.2%

Interest, rents and other
6.1%$88.7 million
Fines
0.2%$2.5 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails39%Running the government and other costs16%Water, sewer, trash and utilities16%Roads, transit and parking15%Interest on debt4.4%All other spending9.3%

What stands out

39%

of Milwaukee's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 25%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
39%$534 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 3 more
  • Police$347 million
  • Fire protection$138 million
  • Inspections and regulation$24.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$17.0 million
  • Prisons and jails$7.2 million
Running the government and other costs
16%$224 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$121 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$62.4 million
  • Government buildings$23.2 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$17.8 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
16%$213 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$91.3 million
  • Sewer systems$70.5 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$51.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
15%$207 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; parking and 2 more
  • Roads and highways$172 million
  • Parking$23.9 million
  • Public transit$6.7 million
  • Ports and harbors$4.6 million
Interest on debt
4.4%$60.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
3.4%$46.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$42.1 million
  • Parks and recreation$4.8 million
Health and hospitals
3.1%$41.9 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$41.9 million
Housing and community development
2.7%$37.1 million
Environment and natural resources
<0.1%$766 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$766 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Milwaukee. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Milwaukee itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.