Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Gary, IN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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

B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Gary, IN
Pop. 69,136
B
71/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency39
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Gary
Total Spending
$40.6B
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$21,825
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$30,129
Total Debt
$509.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$577
$0
Population
882,006
69,136
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Gary$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Gary$231
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Gary$210
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Gary$358

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Gary
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)

Indianapolis city (balance)Gary
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
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
B
Gary, IN
Fiscal Health Score: 71/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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