Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $16,943, a 172% 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 San Antonio, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 74/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries the lighter load at $577 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032 per resident, while San Antonio, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,045.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas San Antonio, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 171.8% more per capita than San Antonio ($29,102/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 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $178 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $136 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,312 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $4,025 |
| Other | $4,675 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,032 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $397 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $158 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $1,469 | $1,188 |
| Health | $0 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $2,453 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $798 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $2,664 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $100 |
| Utilities | $2,227 | $3,826 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,381 | $0 |
| General Admin | $23,227 | $0 |
| Other | $9,149 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.