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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs El Paso, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $24,259, a 90% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Indianapolis city (balance), IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at $2,032 per resident and in El Paso, TX at $1,159.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 89.8% more per capita than El Paso ($21,786/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
El Paso, TX
Pop. 677,181
C
61/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
El Paso
Total Spending
$40.6B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$24,259
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$7,115
Total Debt
$509.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$577
$0
Population
882,006
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
El Paso$151

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)El Paso
Property Tax
$20
$0
Sales Tax
$178
$65
Income Tax
$136
$12
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$690
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$31
Other
$4,675
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)El Paso
Police
$2,032
$1,159
Fire Protection
$397
$233
Highways & Roads
$0
$83
Public Welfare
$1,469
$299
Hospitals
$2,453
$11
Parks & Recreation
$798
$151
Housing
$2,664
$958
Sewerage
$248
$6
Utilities
$2,227
$224
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$40
General Admin
$23,227
$17,951
Other
$9,149
$3,145
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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