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

South Bend, IN vs Bloomington, IN

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

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

City A
South Bend, IN
Pop. 103,084
D
48/100
Budget Balance33
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Bloomington, IN
Pop. 79,006
B
75/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden78
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
South Bend
Bloomington
Total Spending
$3.7B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$35,719
$15,529
Total Revenue
$1.9B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$18,281
$24,552
Total Debt
$29.7M
$28.2M
Debt / Capita
$288
$356
Population
103,084
79,006
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
South Bend$2,100
Bloomington$183
Highways & Roads
South Bend$2
Bloomington$116
Parks & Recreation
South Bend$1,973
Bloomington$1,294

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

South BendBloomington
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)

South BendBloomington
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
D
South Bend, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Bloomington, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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