Denver, CO vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN spends 37% more per resident than Denver, CO: $46,045 against $33,582. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Indianapolis city (balance), IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries the lighter load at $577 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Denver, CO at 37% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 27.1% more per capita than Denver ($12,463/person difference). Indianapolis city (balance), IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $20 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $178 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $136 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $1,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,813 |
| Other | $10,100 | $4,675 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $2,032 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $397 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $1,469 |
| Health | $693 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $2,453 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $798 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $2,664 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $248 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $2,227 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $1,381 |
| General Admin | $364 | $23,227 |
| Other | $12,011 | $9,149 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.