Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $17,934, a 157% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade B) for Indianapolis city (balance), IN — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Jose, CA 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 San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 6% of total revenue in Indianapolis city (balance), IN and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 156.7% more per capita than San Jose ($28,111/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $20 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $178 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $136 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,312 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,813 | $608 |
| Other | $4,675 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,032 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $397 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,469 | $810 |
| Health | $0 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $2,453 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $798 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $2,664 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $161 |
| Utilities | $2,227 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,381 | $0 |
| General Admin | $23,227 | $0 |
| Other | $9,149 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.