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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Seattle, WA

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN spends 34% more per resident than Seattle, WA: $46,045 against $34,463. 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 61/100 (grade C) for Seattle, WA — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries the lighter load at $577 per resident versus $1,100 for Seattle, WA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032 per resident, while Seattle, WA leads with parks and recreation at $3,923.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at 6% of total revenue, whereas Seattle, WA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 33.6% more per capita than Seattle ($11,583/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
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Seattle
Total Spending
$40.6B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$34,463
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$76,958
Total Debt
$509.0M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$577
$1,100
Population
882,006
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Seattle$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Seattle$3,923
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Seattle
Property Tax
$20
$1,831
Sales Tax
$178
$1,094
Income Tax
$136
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$3,960
Other
$4,675
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Seattle
Police
$2,032
$0
Fire Protection
$397
$210
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$1,469
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$2,453
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$798
$3,923
Housing
$2,664
$3,727
Sewerage
$248
$952
Utilities
$2,227
$6,489
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$0
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$11,260
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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