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

El Paso, TX vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $24,259, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Indianapolis city (balance), IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in El Paso, TX at $1,159 per resident and in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at $2,032.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 47.3% more per capita than El Paso ($21,786/person difference). Indianapolis city (balance), IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
El Paso, TX
Pop. 677,181
C
61/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
El Paso
Indianapolis city (balance)
Total Spending
$16.4B
$40.6B
Spending / Capita
$24,259
$46,045
Total Revenue
$4.8B
$66.0B
Revenue / Capita
$7,115
$74,799
Total Debt
$0
$509.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$577
Population
677,181
882,006
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
El Paso$1,159
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Fire Protection
El Paso$233
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Highways & Roads
El Paso$83
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Parks & Recreation
El Paso$151
Indianapolis city (balance)$798

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

El PasoIndianapolis city (balance)
Property Tax
$0
$20
Sales Tax
$65
$178
Income Tax
$12
$136
Intergovernmental
$690
$1,312
Charges & Fees
$31
$2,813
Other
$550
$4,675

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

El PasoIndianapolis city (balance)
Police
$1,159
$2,032
Fire Protection
$233
$397
Highways & Roads
$83
$0
Public Welfare
$299
$1,469
Hospitals
$11
$2,453
Parks & Recreation
$151
$798
Housing
$958
$2,664
Sewerage
$6
$248
Utilities
$224
$2,227
Interest on Debt
$40
$1,381
General Admin
$17,951
$23,227
Other
$3,145
$9,149
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.