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

Indianapolis city (balance), IN vs Wichita, KS

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $7,986, a 477% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Wichita, KS 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.

On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 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 Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.

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

Summary

Indianapolis city (balance) spends 476.6% more per capita than Wichita ($38,059/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Indianapolis city (balance)
Wichita
Total Spending
$40.6B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$46,045
$7,986
Total Revenue
$66.0B
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$74,799
$27,057
Total Debt
$509.0M
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$577
$132
Population
882,006
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Wichita$0
Fire Protection
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Wichita$874
Education
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Wichita$2
Health
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Wichita
Property Tax
$20
$0
Sales Tax
$178
$246
Income Tax
$136
$57
Intergovernmental
$1,312
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$2,813
$3,193
Other
$4,675
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Indianapolis city (balance)Wichita
Police
$2,032
$0
Fire Protection
$397
$152
Highways & Roads
$0
$126
Education
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$1,469
$441
Health
$0
$254
Hospitals
$2,453
$113
Parks & Recreation
$798
$874
Housing
$2,664
$2,618
Sewerage
$248
$0
Utilities
$2,227
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$1,381
$70
General Admin
$23,227
$0
Other
$9,149
$2,111
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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