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Joseph Ernest Meyer HouseJoseph Ernest Meyer House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Dyer

Dyer spent less per resident in 2022 than 66% of similar cities

Dyer’s town government spent $24.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,494 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$24.4M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,494
In 2022: $1,116, less than 66% of 35 similar cities
Long-term debt
$27.8M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2025
105
full-time · 75 part-time · March payroll $749,008 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$3,163
0.98% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Dyer is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,116 per resident in 2022: less than 66% of them

Dyer’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,116 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,182, and the middle half spent $976–$1,616. Dyer spent less than 66% of them.

Middle half of the group, $976–$1,616Median $1,182Dyer

Includes sewer and trash ($4.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
35

Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dyer itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,494 per resident a year, or $4.09 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 37%Fees & charges 30%Utility sales 17%From the state 13%Interest, fines & other 2%From other local governments 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $407,000; interest on debt $515,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $29.5 million.
About “Other”.49% of Dyer’s day-to-day spending ($12 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dyer reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$17.8 million
2023$26.1 million
2024$24.4 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,116 · 2023: $1,590 · 2024: $1,494.

Town staff
105

full-time in March 2025, up from 101 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,163 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Munster$3,670
Dyer$3,163
St. John Township$2,938
Schererville$2,734
North Township$1,895
Indiana$1,614
$3,163
typical bill a year
0.98%
effective rate
$322,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dyer’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Dyer’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dyer →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Dyer

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See townofdyer.com for Dyer’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Dyer yet.townofdyer.com ↗
Agendas

Dyer’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofdyer.com ↗.

Who works for Dyer

One full-time town employee for every 156 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (16,361).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police36 + 10 pt
Fire2 + 52 pt
Roads & transportation26 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings19 + 8 pt
Water & other utilities16
Parks & libraries5 + 2 pt
Housing & development1 + 2 pt
105
full-time
75
part-time
$749,008
payroll for March 2025
$9.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$77,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
30
sworn police officers
2
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Dyer had 6.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 25 of the 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.7: Dyer had fewer than 60% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Lake Central School Corporation

Dyer’s K–12 school district, shared with St. John Township, Schererville, St. John. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Dyer →
$12,633
per pupil · IN $13,688
9,204
students
$155 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,633 per pupil, $7,423 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 37%State 55%Federal 8%

Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Dyer

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Dyer.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Dyer compares with the towns next door

Dyer spent $1,116 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $15 to $1,179. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
St. John Township$15$2,938
North Township$23$1,895
Schererville$849$2,734
Munster$1,179$3,670
Dyer$1,116$3,163

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Dyer’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Dyer’s government

How much does Dyer spend per resident?

About $1,494 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,116 was less than 66% of 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Dyer?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,163 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofdyer.com.

Who runs Dyer’s government?

See townofdyer.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dyer yet.

How many people work for Dyer?

105 full-time and 75 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $749,008 (about $9.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Dyer in the state legislature?

State Senate District 1 (Dan Dernulc) and State House District 15 (Hal Slager). The House district also covers parts of four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Dyer’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →