Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Austin, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Austin, TX by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $21,772, a 111% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Austin, TX edges Indianapolis city (balance), IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 74/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries the lighter load at $577 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032 per resident, while Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas Austin, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 18%.

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 111.5% more per capita than Austin ($24,273/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Austin
Total Spending
$40.6B
$20.9B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$21,772
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$74.4B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$77,600
Total Debt
$509.0M
$1.2B
Debt / Capita
$577
$1,229
Population
882,006
958,202
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Austin$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Austin$634
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Austin$1,801
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Austin$51
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Austin$517

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Austin
Property Tax
$20
$0
Sales Tax
$178
$526
Income Tax
$136
$1,465
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$14,031
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$3,247
Other
$4,675
$5,645

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Austin
Police
$2,032
$0
Fire Protection
$397
$634
Education
$0
$51
Public Welfare
$1,469
$1,837
Health
$0
$517
Hospitals
$2,453
$664
Parks & Recreation
$798
$1,801
Housing
$2,664
$3,741
Sewerage
$248
$865
Utilities
$2,227
$3,264
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$0
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$8,399
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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