East Wabash Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWabash spent more per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities
Wabash’s city government spent $18.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,803 per resident.
What stands out about how Wabash is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,302 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them
Wabash’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,302 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,137, and the middle half spent $754–$1,490. Wabash spent more than 67% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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 →
Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wabash itself left out).
About $1,803 per resident a year, or $4.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 46% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wabash 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: $1,302 · 2023: $1,803. Per resident it went from $1,302 to $1,803 (up 38%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 9,845 to 10,349.
full-time in March 2025, up from 94 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 $764 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% 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 Wabash’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 Wabash’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wabash →
Who’s in charge in Wabash
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wabash’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofwabash.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 106 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 (10,349).
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.
Wabash County Schools Metropolitan School District
Wabash’s K–12 school district, shared with La Fontaine, Lagro, Lagro Township, Liberty Township, Paw Paw Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,924 per pupil, $6,199 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.
Wabash City Schools · $11,407 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Wabash.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofwabash.com ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Wabash’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wabash’s government
How much does Wabash spend per resident?
About $1,803 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 $1,302 was more than 67% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wabash?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $764 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofwabash.com.
Who runs Wabash’s government?
See cityofwabash.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wabash yet.
How many people work for Wabash?
98 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $632,704 (about $7.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wabash in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Nick McKinley) and State House District 50 (Lorissa Sweet). The House district also covers 32 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wabash’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 →