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

New York, NY vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

New York, NY outspends Indianapolis city (balance), IN by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $46,045, a 180% 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 holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 64/100 (grade C) for New York, NY — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 per resident versus $577 for Indianapolis city (balance), IN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: New York, NY leads with education at $37,892 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 New York, NY at 14% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.

Summary

New York spends 180.4% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($83,074/person difference). Indianapolis city (balance), IN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
74/100
Budget Balance98
Debt Burden98
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
New York
Indianapolis city (balance)
Total Spending
$1113.3B
$40.6B
Spending / Capita
$129,119
$46,045
Total Revenue
$1271.6B
$66.0B
Revenue / Capita
$147,477
$74,799
Total Debt
$4.0B
$509.0M
Debt / Capita
$462
$577
Population
8,622,467
882,006
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New York$1,512
Indianapolis city (balance)$2,032
Fire Protection
New York$11,050
Indianapolis city (balance)$397
Highways & Roads
New York$221
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Parks & Recreation
New York$868
Indianapolis city (balance)$798
Education
New York$37,892
Indianapolis city (balance)$0
Health
New York$417
Indianapolis city (balance)$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkIndianapolis city (balance)
Property Tax
$5
$20
Sales Tax
$399
$178
Income Tax
$19
$136
Intergovernmental
$20,520
$1,312
Charges & Fees
$1,835
$2,813
Other
$3,593
$4,675

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkIndianapolis city (balance)
Police
$1,512
$2,032
Fire Protection
$11,050
$397
Highways & Roads
$221
$0
Education
$37,892
$0
Public Welfare
$1,116
$1,469
Health
$417
$0
Hospitals
$6,467
$2,453
Parks & Recreation
$868
$798
Housing
$7,137
$2,664
Sewerage
$315
$248
Utilities
$13,371
$2,227
Interest on Debt
$11,706
$1,381
General Admin
$11,668
$23,227
Other
$25,380
$9,149
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
B
Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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