Fort Wayne, IN vs Carmel, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Carmel, IN spends 55% more per resident than Fort Wayne, IN: $16,389 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 56/100 (grade C) for Carmel, IN — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fort Wayne, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Carmel, IN carries $846 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 Carmel, IN at $1,484.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Fort Wayne, IN and 100% in Carmel, IN.
Summary
Carmel spends 35.4% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($5,799/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $441 | $1,264 |
| Income Tax | $584 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,531 | $90,764 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,515 | $5,500 |
| Other | $189 | $2,404 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $423 | $166 |
| Highways & Roads | $77 | $354 |
| Public Welfare | $1,325 | $1,885 |
| Hospitals | $944 | $1,121 |
| Parks & Recreation | $856 | $1,484 |
| Housing | $2,758 | $2,696 |
| Utilities | $638 | $1,251 |
| Interest on Debt | $546 | $0 |
| Other | $3,025 | $7,432 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.