Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Hobart run?
Hobart’s city government spent $83.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,820 per resident.
What stands out about how Hobart is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Hobart School City
Hobart’s K–12 school district, shared with Hobart Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,969 per pupil, $5,670 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
Merrillville Community School · $12,713 per pupil
River Forest Community School Corporation · $11,634 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,820 per resident a year, or $7.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 13%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,154 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hobart’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,154 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,208, and the middle half spent $1,017–$1,462. Hobart spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.3 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 →
Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hobart itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 158% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hobart reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,154 · 2023: $1,758 · 2024: $2,820. Per resident it went from $1,154 to $2,820 (up 144%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 27,913 to 29,458.
full-time in March 2025, up from 226 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.
The typical homeowner pays $2,279 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.06% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Hobart’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 Hobart’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hobart →
Who’s in charge in Hobart
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hobart’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on city.hobart.in.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 127 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 (29,458).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Hobart.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: city.hobart.in.us ↗
- 2Indiana HouseHobart is split between 2 districts
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Hobart compares with the towns next door
Hobart spent $1,154 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Hobart Township | $9 | $1,922 |
| Ross Township | $27 | $1,905 |
| Union Township | $32 | $2,642 |
| Portage Township | $51 | $1,761 |
| Calumet Township | $53 | $1,096 |
| Merrillville | $338 | $1,805 |
| Lake Station | $662 | $1,399 |
| New Chicago | estimate | $1,722 |
| Gary | estimate | $915 |
| Hobart | $1,154 | $2,279 |
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 Hobart’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hobart’s government
How much does Hobart spend per resident?
About $2,820 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 $1,154 was less than 56% of 18 Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hobart?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,279 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.06% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see city.hobart.in.us.
Who runs Hobart’s government?
See city.hobart.in.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hobart yet.
How many people work for Hobart?
232 full-time and 73 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.6M (about $19.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Hobart in the state legislature?
Hobart is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 3 (Mark Spencer). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hobart’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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 →