Portland, OR vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Indianapolis city (balance), IN outspends Portland, OR by a wide margin per resident — $46,045 versus $23,675, a 94% 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 63/100 (grade C) for Portland, OR — a 11-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 $1,574 for Portland, OR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 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 Portland, OR at 19% of total revenue, whereas Indianapolis city (balance), IN relies most on other revenue at 6%.
Summary
Indianapolis city (balance) spends 48.6% more per capita than Portland ($22,370/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 | $0 | $20 |
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $178 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $136 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $1,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $2,813 |
| Other | $7,916 | $4,675 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,032 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $397 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $1,469 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $2,453 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $798 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $2,664 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $248 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $2,227 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,381 |
| General Admin | $0 | $23,227 |
| Other | $6,689 | $9,149 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.