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

Bloomington, IN vs South Bend, IN

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

Summary

South Bend spends 56.5% more per capita than Bloomington ($20,190/person difference). Bloomington, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Bloomington, IN
Pop. 79,006
B
75/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden78
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
South Bend, IN
Pop. 103,084
D
48/100
Budget Balance33
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bloomington
South Bend
Total Spending
$1.2B
$3.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,529
$35,719
Total Revenue
$1.9B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$24,552
$18,281
Total Debt
$28.2M
$29.7M
Debt / Capita
$356
$288
Population
79,006
103,084
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Bloomington$183
South Bend$2,100
Highways & Roads
Bloomington$116
South Bend$2
Parks & Recreation
Bloomington$1,294
South Bend$1,973

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BloomingtonSouth Bend
Property Tax
$364
$10
Sales Tax
$885
$759
Income Tax
$227
$955
Intergovernmental
$3,245
$18,281
Charges & Fees
$2,522
$2,775
Other
$3,643
$6,625

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BloomingtonSouth Bend
Fire Protection
$183
$2,100
Highways & Roads
$116
$2
Public Welfare
$759
$1,509
Hospitals
$362
$800
Parks & Recreation
$1,294
$1,973
Housing
$1,661
$2,520
Sewerage
$0
$348
Utilities
$1,857
$1,910
Interest on Debt
$1,179
$1,088
Other
$8,118
$23,468
B
Bloomington, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
D
South Bend, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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