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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Chicago, IL

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

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 33.3% more per capita than Chicago ($11,494/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
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Chicago
Total Spending
$40.6B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$34,551
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$85,083
Total Debt
$509.0M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$577
$977
Population
882,006
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Chicago$122
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Chicago
Property Tax
$20
$26
Sales Tax
$178
$74
Income Tax
$136
$229
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$2,847
Other
$4,675
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Chicago
Police
$2,032
$0
Fire Protection
$397
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$0
$930
Public Welfare
$1,469
$1,858
Health
$0
$426
Hospitals
$2,453
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$798
$122
Housing
$2,664
$6,520
Sewerage
$248
$129
Utilities
$2,227
$2,983
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$0
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$9,385
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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