Fishers, IN vs Lafayette, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lafayette, IN outspends Fishers, IN by a wide margin per resident — $15,637 versus $6,900, a 127% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fishers, IN edges Lafayette, IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 84/100 (grade A) to 77/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fishers, IN at $655 per resident and in Lafayette, IN at $930.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 61% of total revenue in Fishers, IN and 100% in Lafayette, IN.
Summary
Lafayette spends 55.9% more per capita than Fishers ($8,737/person difference). Fishers, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 84/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $101 | $323 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,257 | $36,145 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,183 |
| Other | $2,313 | $5,635 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $330 | $30 |
| Public Welfare | $534 | $472 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $655 | $930 |
| Housing | $1,613 | $2,665 |
| Sewerage | $169 | $0 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,776 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,122 |
| Other | $3,599 | $5,559 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.