Evansville, IN vs Gary, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Gary, IN spends 51% more per resident than Evansville, IN: $21,825 against $14,467. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Gary, IN edges Evansville, IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 71/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Gary, 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 Gary, IN at $358.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Evansville, IN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Gary, IN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Gary spends 33.7% more per capita than Evansville ($7,358/person difference). Gary, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $109 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $395 | $46 |
| Income Tax | $578 | $64 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,427 | $30,129 |
| Charges & Fees | $361 | $0 |
| Other | $6,966 | $10,510 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $349 | $231 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $210 |
| Education | $86 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $234 | $886 |
| Hospitals | $308 | $721 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,054 | $358 |
| Housing | $2,835 | $2,936 |
| Sewerage | $79 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,299 | $113 |
| Interest on Debt | $553 | $846 |
| Other | $3,669 | $15,525 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.