Gary, IN vs Evansville, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Gary, IN spends 51% more per resident than Evansville, IN: $21,825 against $14,467. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Gary, IN edges Evansville, IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 71/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Gary, IN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Evansville, IN carries $4,624 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Gary, IN at $358 per resident and in Evansville, IN at $1,054.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Gary, IN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Evansville, IN relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Gary spends 50.9% more per capita than Evansville ($7,358/person difference). Gary, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 71/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $109 |
| Sales Tax | $46 | $395 |
| Income Tax | $64 | $578 |
| Intergovernmental | $30,129 | $2,427 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $361 |
| Other | $10,510 | $6,966 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $231 | $349 |
| Highways & Roads | $210 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $86 |
| Public Welfare | $886 | $234 |
| Hospitals | $721 | $308 |
| Parks & Recreation | $358 | $1,054 |
| Housing | $2,936 | $2,835 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $79 |
| Utilities | $113 | $5,299 |
| Interest on Debt | $846 | $553 |
| Other | $15,525 | $3,669 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.