Lafayette, IN vs Gary, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Gary, IN spends 40% more per resident than Lafayette, IN: $21,825 against $15,637. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lafayette, IN edges Gary, IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 77/100 (grade B) to 71/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Gary, IN at $358.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Lafayette, IN and 100% in Gary, IN.
Summary
Gary spends 28.4% more per capita than Lafayette ($6,188/person difference). Lafayette, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 77/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $323 | $46 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $64 |
| Intergovernmental | $36,145 | $30,129 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,183 | $0 |
| Other | $5,635 | $10,510 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $30 | $231 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $210 |
| Public Welfare | $472 | $886 |
| Hospitals | $83 | $721 |
| Parks & Recreation | $930 | $358 |
| Housing | $2,665 | $2,936 |
| Utilities | $3,776 | $113 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,122 | $846 |
| Other | $5,559 | $15,525 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.