Park Mary Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLafayette spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Lafayette’s city government spent $71.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,005 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($39.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lafayette is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$989 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Lafayette’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($989 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 $1,262, and the middle half spent $1,017–$1,490. Lafayette spent less than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lafayette itself left out).
About $1,005 per resident a year, or $2.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lafayette 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: $989 · 2023: $1,005.
full-time in March 2025, up from 742 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,117 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 Lafayette’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 Lafayette’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lafayette →
Who’s in charge in Lafayette
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lafayette’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lafayette.in.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 91 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (70,835).
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.
Tippecanoe School Corporation
Lafayette’s K–12 school district, shared with Battle Ground, Clarks Hill, Dayton, Jackson Township, Lauramie Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,150 per pupil, $6,456 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.
Lafayette School Corporation · $16,144 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Lafayette.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lafayette.in.gov ↗
- 2Indiana HouseLafayette is split between 3 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 Lafayette compares with the towns next door
Lafayette spent $989 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $2 to $689. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Township | $2 | $1,081 |
| Wea Township | $16 | $1,377 |
| Dayton | $549 | $959 |
| Shadeland | $689 | $1,420 |
| Union Township | estimate | $1,420 |
| Lafayette | $989 | $1,117 |
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 Lafayette’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lafayette’s government
How much does Lafayette spend per resident?
About $1,005 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 $989 was less than 76% of 34 Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lafayette?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,117 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lafayette.in.gov.
Who runs Lafayette’s government?
See lafayette.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lafayette yet.
How many people work for Lafayette?
777 full-time and 66 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.3M (about $63.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lafayette in the state legislature?
Lafayette is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 22 (Ron Alting). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lafayette’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 →