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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 48.1% more per capita than Detroit ($14,958/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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Detroit
Total Spending
$40.6B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$31,087
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$44,533
Total Debt
$509.0M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$577
$776
Population
882,006
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Detroit$950
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Detroit
Property Tax
$20
$44
Sales Tax
$178
$200
Income Tax
$136
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$291
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$2,228
Other
$4,675
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Detroit
Police
$2,032
$0
Fire Protection
$397
$2,429
Public Welfare
$1,469
$833
Health
$0
$396
Hospitals
$2,453
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$798
$950
Housing
$2,664
$5,791
Sewerage
$248
$451
Utilities
$2,227
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$2,068
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$13,216
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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