Arlington, TX vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $20,200 versus $11,769, a 72% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 48-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 41.7% more per capita than Arlington ($8,431/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $507 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $3,823 |
| Other | $3,897 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $160 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $1,849 |
| Health | $219 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $4,404 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.