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

Chicago, IL vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN

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

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 25.0% more per capita than Chicago ($11,494/person difference). Indianapolis city (balance), IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Indianapolis city (balance)
Total Spending
$94.0B
$40.6B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$46,045
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$66.0B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$74,799
Total Debt
$2.7B
$509.0M
Debt / Capita
$977
$577
Population
2,721,914
882,006
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chicago$0
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Health
Chicago$426
Indianapolis city (balance)$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoIndianapolis city (balance)
Property Tax
$26
$20
Sales Tax
$74
$178
Income Tax
$229
$136
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$1,312
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,813
Other
$3,463
$4,675

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoIndianapolis city (balance)
Police
$0
$2,032
Fire Protection
$10,754
$397
Highways & Roads
$930
$0
Public Welfare
$1,858
$1,469
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$2,453
Parks & Recreation
$122
$798
Housing
$6,520
$2,664
Sewerage
$129
$248
Utilities
$2,983
$2,227
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,381
General Admin
$0
$23,227
Other
$9,385
$9,149
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health

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