Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Lafayette, IN vs South Bend, IN

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

Summary

South Bend spends 56.2% more per capita than Lafayette ($20,082/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
South Bend, IN
Pop. 103,084
D
48/100
Budget Balance33
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lafayette
South Bend
Total Spending
$1.1B
$3.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,637
$35,719
Total Revenue
$2.6B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$36,145
$18,281
Total Debt
$0
$29.7M
Debt / Capita
$0
$288
Population
70,828
103,084
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Lafayette$30
South Bend$2,100
Highways & Roads
Lafayette$0
South Bend$2
Parks & Recreation
Lafayette$930
South Bend$1,973

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

LafayetteSouth Bend
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$323
$759
Income Tax
$0
$955
Intergovernmental
$36,145
$18,281
Charges & Fees
$2,183
$2,775
Other
$5,635
$6,625

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

LafayetteSouth Bend
Fire Protection
$30
$2,100
Highways & Roads
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$472
$1,509
Hospitals
$83
$800
Parks & Recreation
$930
$1,973
Housing
$2,665
$2,520
Sewerage
$0
$348
Utilities
$3,776
$1,910
Interest on Debt
$2,122
$1,088
Other
$5,559
$23,468
B
Lafayette, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 77/100
Good fiscal health
D
South Bend, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities