South Bend, IN vs Bloomington, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
South Bend, IN outspends Bloomington, IN by a wide margin per resident — $35,719 versus $15,529, a 130% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Bloomington, IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 48/100 (grade D) for South Bend, IN — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, South Bend, IN carries the lighter load at $288 per resident versus $356 for Bloomington, IN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: South Bend, IN leads with fire protection at $2,100 per resident, while Bloomington, IN leads with parks and recreation at $1,294.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in South Bend, IN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Bloomington, IN relies most on other revenue at 15%.
Summary
South Bend spends 130.0% more per capita than Bloomington ($20,190/person difference). Bloomington, IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $364 |
| Sales Tax | $759 | $885 |
| Income Tax | $955 | $227 |
| Intergovernmental | $18,281 | $3,245 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,775 | $2,522 |
| Other | $6,625 | $3,643 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,100 | $183 |
| Highways & Roads | $2 | $116 |
| Public Welfare | $1,509 | $759 |
| Hospitals | $800 | $362 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,973 | $1,294 |
| Housing | $2,520 | $1,661 |
| Sewerage | $348 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,910 | $1,857 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,088 | $1,179 |
| Other | $23,468 | $8,118 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.