Fort Wayne, IN vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Fort Wayne, IN by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $10,590, a 335% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fort Wayne, IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade B) for Indianapolis city (balance), IN — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fort Wayne, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fort Wayne, IN leads with parks and recreation at $856 per resident, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fort Wayne, IN at 27% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 77.0% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($35,455/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 | $20 |
| Sales Tax | $441 | $178 |
| Income Tax | $584 | $136 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,531 | $1,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,515 | $2,813 |
| Other | $189 | $4,675 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,032 |
| Fire Protection | $423 | $397 |
| Highways & Roads | $77 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,325 | $1,469 |
| Hospitals | $944 | $2,453 |
| Parks & Recreation | $856 | $798 |
| Housing | $2,758 | $2,664 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $248 |
| Utilities | $638 | $2,227 |
| Interest on Debt | $546 | $1,381 |
| General Admin | $0 | $23,227 |
| Other | $3,025 | $9,149 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.