Fort Wayne, IN vs Lafayette, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lafayette, IN spends 48% more per resident than Fort Wayne, IN: $15,637 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 77/100 (grade B) for Lafayette, IN — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Fort Wayne, IN at $856 per resident and in Lafayette, IN at $930.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Fort Wayne, IN and 100% in Lafayette, IN.
Summary
Lafayette spends 32.3% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($5,046/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 | $323 |
| Income Tax | $584 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,531 | $36,145 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,515 | $2,183 |
| Other | $189 | $5,635 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $423 | $30 |
| Highways & Roads | $77 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,325 | $472 |
| Hospitals | $944 | $83 |
| Parks & Recreation | $856 | $930 |
| Housing | $2,758 | $2,665 |
| Utilities | $638 | $3,776 |
| Interest on Debt | $546 | $2,122 |
| Other | $3,025 | $5,559 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.