Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Gary, IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Gary, IN by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $21,825, a 111% 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 edges Gary, IN on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 74/100 (grade B) to 71/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Gary, IN 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 Gary, IN leads with parks and recreation at $358.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas Gary, IN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 111.0% more per capita than Gary ($24,220/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $178 | $46 |
| Income Tax | $136 | $64 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,312 | $30,129 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $0 |
| Other | $4,675 | $10,510 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,032 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $397 | $231 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $210 |
| Public Welfare | $1,469 | $886 |
| Hospitals | $2,453 | $721 |
| Parks & Recreation | $798 | $358 |
| Housing | $2,664 | $2,936 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,227 | $113 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,381 | $846 |
| General Admin | $23,227 | $0 |
| Other | $9,149 | $15,525 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.