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

Dallas, TX vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Dallas, TX outspends Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $20,200, a 73% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Dallas, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Dallas, TX 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: Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519 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 Dallas, TX at 22% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.

Summary

Dallas spends 72.5% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($14,649/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Budget Balance8
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency88
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Dallas
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)
Total Spending
$45.3B
$12.7B
Spending / Capita
$34,849
$20,200
Total Revenue
$7.1B
$5.4B
Revenue / Capita
$5,474
$8,618
Total Debt
$0
$2.2B
Debt / Capita
$0
$3,553
Population
1,300,642
629,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Dallas$1,519
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$701
Fire Protection
Dallas$305
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$1,132
Highways & Roads
Dallas$201
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$0
Parks & Recreation
Dallas$0
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$1,070
Education
Dallas$62
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$956
Health
Dallas$0
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$379

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasLouisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)
Property Tax
$9
$0
Sales Tax
$25
$1,138
Income Tax
$0
$24
Intergovernmental
$1,223
$412
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,823
Other
$584
$8,878

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasLouisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)
Police
$1,519
$701
Fire Protection
$305
$1,132
Highways & Roads
$201
$0
Education
$62
$956
Public Welfare
$215
$1,849
Health
$0
$379
Hospitals
$385
$779
Parks & Recreation
$0
$1,070
Housing
$444
$2,382
Sewerage
$0
$249
Utilities
$833
$3,844
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,517
General Admin
$25,827
$0
Other
$5,059
$5,344
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
D
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Fiscal Health Score: 35/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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