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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boston, MA vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Boston spends 57.0% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($26,254/person difference). Indianapolis city (balance), IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Indianapolis city (balance)
Total Spending
$48.1B
$40.6B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$46,045
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$66.0B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$74,799
Total Debt
$296.3M
$509.0M
Debt / Capita
$445
$577
Population
665,945
882,006
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Boston$0
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Education
Boston$30,742
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Health
Boston$725
Indianapolis city (balance)$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonIndianapolis city (balance)
Property Tax
$0
$20
Sales Tax
$78
$178
Income Tax
$0
$136
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$1,312
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$2,813
Other
$4,557
$4,675

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonIndianapolis city (balance)
Police
$0
$2,032
Fire Protection
$1,107
$397
Highways & Roads
$594
$0
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$1,469
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$2,453
Parks & Recreation
$711
$798
Housing
$6,614
$2,664
Sewerage
$355
$248
Utilities
$3,402
$2,227
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,381
General Admin
$5,401
$23,227
Other
$18,955
$9,149
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health

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