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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Atlanta, GA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Atlanta, GA by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $25,457, a 81% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade B) for Indianapolis city (balance), IN — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.

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

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 80.9% more per capita than Atlanta ($20,588/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Atlanta
Total Spending
$40.6B
$12.6B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$25,457
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$77.6B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$156,803
Total Debt
$509.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$577
$0
Population
882,006
494,838
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Atlanta$315
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Atlanta$464
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Atlanta$513
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Atlanta$1,274
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Atlanta$25

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Atlanta
Property Tax
$20
$419
Sales Tax
$178
$0
Income Tax
$136
$1,292
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$9,121
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$5,645
Other
$4,675
$5,461

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Atlanta
Police
$2,032
$315
Fire Protection
$397
$464
Highways & Roads
$0
$513
Education
$0
$25
Public Welfare
$1,469
$1,587
Hospitals
$2,453
$55
Parks & Recreation
$798
$1,274
Housing
$2,664
$4,594
Sewerage
$248
$343
Utilities
$2,227
$8,026
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$0
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$8,262
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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