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DowntownHammondInPhoto: HammondMan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Hammond

Hammond spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities

Hammond’s city government spent $229.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,977 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($12.9 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$229.2M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$2,977
In 2022: $2,248, more than 97% of 34 similar cities
Long-term debt
$259.8M
end of 2023, reported
City staff, 2025
768
full-time · 143 part-time · March payroll $5.3M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,630
1.02% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Hammond is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$2,248 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them

Hammond’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,248 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 34 Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,208, and the middle half spent $989–$1,462. Hammond spent more than 97% of them.

Middle half of the group, $989–$1,462Median $1,208Hammond

Includes sewer and trash ($36.2 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
34

Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hammond itself left out).

Your share of the 2023 budget

About $2,977 per resident a year, or $8.16 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 36%Property taxes 24%From the state 12%Utility sales 12%Interest, fines & other 12%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the federal government 1%From other local governments 1%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $5.1 million; interest on debt $9.1 million; payments to other governments $4 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $268.4 million.
About “Other”.45% of Hammond’s day-to-day spending ($102.9 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 35% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$169.4 million
2023$229.2 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,248 · 2023: $2,977.

City staff
768

full-time in March 2025, up from 727 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 $1,630 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.02% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Chicago$4,943
Calumet City$4,813
Thornton Township$4,499
Munster$3,670
Highland$2,047
North Township$1,895
Whiting$1,659
Hammond$1,630
Indiana$1,614
Calumet Township$1,096
$1,630
typical bill a year
1.02%
effective rate
$159,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Hammond’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 Hammond’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hammond →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Hammond

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

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

Hammond’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gohammond.com ↗.

Who works for Hammond

One full-time city employee for every 100 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 2023 finance file (76,984).

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

Police231 + 20 pt
Fire162
Sewer & trash134 + 9 pt
Administration & buildings53 + 70 pt
Roads & transportation71 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries38 + 34 pt
Water & other utilities43 + 2 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections20
Health & welfare8 + 5 pt
Housing & development8 + 1 pt
768
full-time
143
part-time
$5.3M
payroll for March 2025
$63.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$79,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
196
sworn police officers
158
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Hammond didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Hammond School City

Hammond’s K–12 school district, shared with North Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Hammond →
$14,230
per pupil · IN $13,688
11,275
students
$153.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,230 per pupil, $7,085 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 26%State 54%Federal 20%

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

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

Who represents Hammond

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Hammond.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseHammond is split between 2 districts
  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 Hammond compares with the towns next door

Hammond spent $2,248 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $23 to $2,458. 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
North Township$23$1,895
Calumet Township$53$1,096
Munster$1,179$3,670
Whiting$1,935$1,659
East Chicago$2,458$1,083
Highlandestimate$2,047
Garyestimate$915
Hammond$2,248$1,630

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 Hammond’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Hammond’s government

How much does Hammond spend per resident?

About $2,977 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,248 was more than 97% of 34 Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Hammond?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,630 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gohammond.com.

Who runs Hammond’s government?

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

How many people work for Hammond?

768 full-time and 143 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.3M (about $63.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Hammond in the state legislature?

Hammond is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 2 (Lonnie Randolph). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Hammond’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 →