Carmel, IN vs Fort Wayne, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Carmel, IN spends 55% more per resident than Fort Wayne, IN: $16,389 against $10,590. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Wayne, IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Carmel, IN — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fort Wayne, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Carmel, IN carries $846 per resident. 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 Fort Wayne, IN at $856.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Carmel, IN and 27% in Fort Wayne, IN.
Summary
Carmel spends 54.8% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($5,799/person difference). Fort Wayne, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $28 |
| Sales Tax | $1,264 | $441 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $584 |
| Intergovernmental | $90,764 | $5,531 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,500 | $2,515 |
| Other | $2,404 | $189 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $166 | $423 |
| Highways & Roads | $354 | $77 |
| Public Welfare | $1,885 | $1,325 |
| Hospitals | $1,121 | $944 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,484 | $856 |
| Housing | $2,696 | $2,758 |
| Utilities | $1,251 | $638 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $546 |
| Other | $7,432 | $3,025 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.