Evansville, IN vs Carmel, IN

Carmel, IN and Evansville, IN spend within 13.3% of each other per resident — $16,389 versus $14,467 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Evansville, IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Carmel, IN — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Carmel, IN carries the lighter load at $846 per resident versus $4,624 for Evansville, IN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Evansville, IN at $1,054 per resident and in Carmel, IN at $1,484.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Evansville, IN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Carmel, IN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.