Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Memphis, TN

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Memphis, TN by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $22,111, a 108% 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 65/100 (grade B) for Memphis, TN — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Memphis, TN carries the lighter load at $303 per resident versus $577 for Indianapolis city (balance), IN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032 per resident, while Memphis, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,397.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas Memphis, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.