Sacramento, CA vs Indianapolis city (balance), IN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA spends 54% more per resident than Indianapolis city (balance), IN: $71,020 against $46,045. 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Indianapolis city (balance), IN carries $577 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Sacramento, CA at $5,402 per resident and in Indianapolis city (balance), IN at $2,032.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 6% in Indianapolis city (balance), IN.
Summary
Sacramento spends 54.2% more per capita than Indianapolis city (balance) ($24,975/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 | $1,465 | $20 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $178 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $136 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $1,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $2,813 |
| Other | $5,072 | $4,675 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $2,032 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $397 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $1,469 |
| Health | $18 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,453 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $798 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $2,664 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $248 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $2,227 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $1,381 |
| General Admin | $0 | $23,227 |
| Other | $26,782 | $9,149 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.