Fort Wayne, IN vs Bloomington, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Bloomington, IN spends 47% more per resident than Fort Wayne, IN: $15,529 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 75/100 (grade B) for Bloomington, IN — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fort Wayne, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Bloomington, IN carries $356 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fort Wayne, IN at $856 per resident and in Bloomington, IN at $1,294.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fort Wayne, IN at 27% of total revenue, whereas Bloomington, IN relies most on other revenue at 15%.
Summary
Bloomington spends 31.8% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($4,938/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 | $28 | $364 |
| Sales Tax | $441 | $885 |
| Income Tax | $584 | $227 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,531 | $3,245 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,515 | $2,522 |
| Other | $189 | $3,643 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $423 | $183 |
| Highways & Roads | $77 | $116 |
| Public Welfare | $1,325 | $759 |
| Hospitals | $944 | $362 |
| Parks & Recreation | $856 | $1,294 |
| Housing | $2,758 | $1,661 |
| Utilities | $638 | $1,857 |
| Interest on Debt | $546 | $1,179 |
| Other | $3,025 | $8,118 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.