Atlanta, GA vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA spends 26% more per resident than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY: $25,457 against $20,200. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 50-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries $3,553 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 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 Atlanta, GA at 6% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Atlanta spends 26.0% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($5,257/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $3,823 |
| Other | $5,461 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $0 |
| Education | $25 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $1,849 |
| Health | $0 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $249 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $8,262 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.