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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs New York, NY

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

New York, NY outspends Indianapolis city (balance), IN by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $46,045, a 180% 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 64/100 (grade C) for New York, NY — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 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 New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas New York, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.

Summary

New York spends 64.3% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($83,074/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
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
New York
Total Spending
$40.6B
$1113.3B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$129,119
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$1271.6B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$147,477
Total Debt
$509.0M
$4.0B
Debt / Capita
$577
$462
Population
882,006
8,622,467
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
New York$1,512
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
New York$11,050
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
New York$221
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
New York$868
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
New York$37,892
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
New York$417

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)New York
Property Tax
$20
$5
Sales Tax
$178
$399
Income Tax
$136
$19
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$20,520
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$1,835
Other
$4,675
$3,593

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)New York
Police
$2,032
$1,512
Fire Protection
$397
$11,050
Highways & Roads
$0
$221
Education
$0
$37,892
Public Welfare
$1,469
$1,116
Health
$0
$417
Hospitals
$2,453
$6,467
Parks & Recreation
$798
$868
Housing
$2,664
$7,137
Sewerage
$248
$315
Utilities
$2,227
$13,371
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$11,706
General Admin
$23,227
$11,668
Other
$9,149
$25,380
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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