Carmel, IN vs Bloomington, IN

Carmel, IN and Bloomington, IN spend within 5.5% of each other per resident — $16,389 versus $15,529 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Bloomington, IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Carmel, IN — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Bloomington, IN carries the lighter load at $356 per resident versus $846 for Carmel, IN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Carmel, IN at $1,484 per resident and in Bloomington, IN at $1,294.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Carmel, IN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Bloomington, IN relies most on other revenue at 15%.