Jacksonville, FL vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN spends 46% more per resident than Jacksonville, FL: $46,045 against $31,456. 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 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 21-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 $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN leads with police at $2,032.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jacksonville, FL at 14% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 31.7% more per capita than Jacksonville ($14,589/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 | $10 | $20 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $178 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $136 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $1,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $2,813 |
| Other | $4,705 | $4,675 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $2,032 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $397 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $1,469 |
| Health | $332 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $2,453 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $798 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $2,664 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $248 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $2,227 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $1,381 |
| General Admin | $0 | $23,227 |
| Other | $9,771 | $9,149 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.