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

Lafayette, IN vs Carmel, IN

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

Summary

Carmel spends 4.6% more per capita than Lafayette ($752/person difference). Lafayette, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 77/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Lafayette, IN
Pop. 70,828
B
77/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Carmel, IN
Pop. 99,453
C
56/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lafayette
Carmel
Total Spending
$1.1B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$15,637
$16,389
Total Revenue
$2.6B
$9.0B
Revenue / Capita
$36,145
$90,764
Total Debt
$0
$84.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$846
Population
70,828
99,453
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Lafayette$30
Carmel$166
Highways & Roads
Lafayette$0
Carmel$354
Parks & Recreation
Lafayette$930
Carmel$1,484

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

LafayetteCarmel
Sales Tax
$323
$1,264
Intergovernmental
$36,145
$90,764
Charges & Fees
$2,183
$5,500
Other
$5,635
$2,404

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

LafayetteCarmel
Fire Protection
$30
$166
Highways & Roads
$0
$354
Public Welfare
$472
$1,885
Hospitals
$83
$1,121
Parks & Recreation
$930
$1,484
Housing
$2,665
$2,696
Utilities
$3,776
$1,251
Interest on Debt
$2,122
$0
Other
$5,559
$7,432
B
Lafayette, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 77/100
Good fiscal health
C
Carmel, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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