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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Sacramento, CA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Sacramento, CA spends 54% more per resident than Indianapolis city (balance), IN: $71,020 against $46,045. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Indianapolis city (balance), IN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at $2,032 per resident and in Sacramento, CA at $5,402.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 6% of total revenue in Indianapolis city (balance), IN and 8% in Sacramento, CA.

Summary

Sacramento spends 35.2% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($24,975/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Sacramento
Total Spending
$40.6B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$71,020
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$63,682
Total Debt
$509.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$577
$0
Population
882,006
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Sacramento$2,466
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Sacramento
Property Tax
$20
$1,465
Sales Tax
$178
$378
Income Tax
$136
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$3,239
Other
$4,675
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Sacramento
Police
$2,032
$5,402
Fire Protection
$397
$2,466
Education
$0
$2,684
Public Welfare
$1,469
$3,470
Health
$0
$18
Hospitals
$2,453
$0
Parks & Recreation
$798
$1,437
Housing
$2,664
$8,577
Sewerage
$248
$103
Utilities
$2,227
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$162
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$26,782
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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