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

Evansville, IN vs Fort Wayne, IN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Evansville, IN spends 37% more per resident than Fort Wayne, IN: $14,467 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 69/100 (grade B) for Evansville, IN — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Fort Wayne, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Evansville, IN carries $4,624 per resident. 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 Fort Wayne, IN at $856.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Evansville, IN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Fort Wayne, IN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 27%.

Summary

Evansville spends 36.6% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($3,877/person difference). Fort Wayne, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Evansville, IN
Pop. 116,906
B
69/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Wayne, IN
Pop. 264,514
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Evansville
Fort Wayne
Total Spending
$1.7B
$2.8B
Spending / Capita
$14,467
$10,590
Total Revenue
$8.0B
$5.4B
Revenue / Capita
$68,209
$20,350
Total Debt
$540.6M
$0
Debt / Capita
$4,624
$0
Population
116,906
264,514
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Evansville$349
Fort Wayne$423
Highways & Roads
Evansville$0
Fort Wayne$77
Parks & Recreation
Evansville$1,054
Fort Wayne$856
Education
Evansville$86
Fort Wayne$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

EvansvilleFort Wayne
Property Tax
$109
$28
Sales Tax
$395
$441
Income Tax
$578
$584
Intergovernmental
$2,427
$5,531
Charges & Fees
$361
$2,515
Other
$6,966
$189

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

EvansvilleFort Wayne
Fire Protection
$349
$423
Highways & Roads
$0
$77
Education
$86
$0
Public Welfare
$234
$1,325
Hospitals
$308
$944
Parks & Recreation
$1,054
$856
Housing
$2,835
$2,758
Sewerage
$79
$0
Utilities
$5,299
$638
Interest on Debt
$553
$546
Other
$3,669
$3,025
B
Evansville, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Fort Wayne, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.