Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Baltimore, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baltimore, MD spends 48% more per resident than Indianapolis city (balance), IN: $67,935 against $46,045. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Indianapolis city (balance), IN edges Baltimore, MD on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 74/100 (grade B) to 70/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Baltimore, MD 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 Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas Baltimore, MD relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 7%.
Summary
Baltimore spends 32.2% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($21,890/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 | $20 | $84 |
| Sales Tax | $178 | $55 |
| Income Tax | $136 | $375 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,312 | $5,085 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $2,192 |
| Other | $4,675 | $4,765 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,032 | $820 |
| Fire Protection | $397 | $1,214 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $676 |
| Education | $0 | $35,510 |
| Public Welfare | $1,469 | $714 |
| Health | $0 | $757 |
| Hospitals | $2,453 | $1,877 |
| Parks & Recreation | $798 | $384 |
| Housing | $2,664 | $4,087 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $87 |
| Utilities | $2,227 | $3,809 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,381 | $0 |
| General Admin | $23,227 | $19 |
| Other | $9,149 | $17,981 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.