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

Fort Wayne, IN vs South Bend, IN

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

Summary

South Bend spends 70.4% more per capita than Fort Wayne ($25,129/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
South Bend, IN
Pop. 103,084
D
48/100
Budget Balance33
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Wayne
South Bend
Total Spending
$2.8B
$3.7B
Spending / Capita
$10,590
$35,719
Total Revenue
$5.4B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$20,350
$18,281
Total Debt
$0
$29.7M
Debt / Capita
$0
$288
Population
264,514
103,084
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Wayne$423
South Bend$2,100
Highways & Roads
Fort Wayne$77
South Bend$2
Parks & Recreation
Fort Wayne$856
South Bend$1,973

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WayneSouth Bend
Property Tax
$28
$10
Sales Tax
$441
$759
Income Tax
$584
$955
Intergovernmental
$5,531
$18,281
Charges & Fees
$2,515
$2,775
Other
$189
$6,625

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WayneSouth Bend
Fire Protection
$423
$2,100
Highways & Roads
$77
$2
Public Welfare
$1,325
$1,509
Hospitals
$944
$800
Parks & Recreation
$856
$1,973
Housing
$2,758
$2,520
Sewerage
$0
$348
Utilities
$638
$1,910
Interest on Debt
$546
$1,088
Other
$3,025
$23,468
A
Fort Wayne, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
South Bend, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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