Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN and Fresno, CA spend within 6.1% of each other per resident — $46,045 versus $43,387 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Indianapolis city (balance), IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 6% of total revenue in Indianapolis city (balance), IN and 19% in Fresno, CA.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 6.1% more per capita than Fresno ($2,658/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 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $178 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $136 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,312 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $11 |
| Other | $4,675 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,032 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $397 | $568 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $1,469 | $1,946 |
| Health | $0 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $2,453 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $798 | $76 |
| Housing | $2,664 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,227 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,381 | $255 |
| General Admin | $23,227 | $0 |
| Other | $9,149 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.