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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Baltimore, MD

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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

B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Baltimore, MD
Pop. 584,548
B
70/100
Budget Balance79
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Baltimore
Total Spending
$40.6B
$39.7B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$67,935
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$41.3B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$70,679
Total Debt
$509.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$577
$0
Population
882,006
584,548
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Baltimore$820
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Baltimore$1,214
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Baltimore$676
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Baltimore$384
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Baltimore$35,510
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Baltimore$757

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Baltimore
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)

Indianapolis city (balance)Baltimore
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
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
B
Baltimore, MD
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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