Lafayette, IN vs Fort Wayne, 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 Lafayette, IN at $930 per resident and in Fort Wayne, IN at $856.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Lafayette, IN and 27% in Fort Wayne, IN.
Summary
Lafayette spends 47.7% 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 | $0 | $28 |
| Sales Tax | $323 | $441 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $584 |
| Intergovernmental | $36,145 | $5,531 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,183 | $2,515 |
| Other | $5,635 | $189 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $30 | $423 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $77 |
| Public Welfare | $472 | $1,325 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $944 |
| Parks & Recreation | $930 | $856 |
| Housing | $2,665 | $2,758 |
| Utilities | $3,776 | $638 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,122 | $546 |
| Other | $5,559 | $3,025 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.