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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fort Wayne, IN vs Lafayette, IN

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Fort Wayne, IN
Pop. 264,514
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lafayette, IN
Pop. 70,828
B
77/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Wayne
Lafayette
Total Spending
$2.8B
$1.1B
Spending / Capita
$10,590
$15,637
Total Revenue
$5.4B
$2.6B
Revenue / Capita
$20,350
$36,145
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
264,514
70,828
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Wayne$423
Lafayette$30
Highways & Roads
Fort Wayne$77
Lafayette$0
Parks & Recreation
Fort Wayne$856
Lafayette$930

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WayneLafayette
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)

Fort WayneLafayette
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
A
Fort Wayne, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Lafayette, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 77/100
Good fiscal health

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