Denver, CO vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO outspends Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY by a wide margin per resident — $33,582 versus $20,200, a 66% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Denver, CO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 51/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries the lighter load at $3,553 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 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 Denver, CO at 37% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Denver spends 66.2% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($13,382/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,823 |
| Other | $10,100 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $1,849 |
| Health | $693 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $249 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $1,517 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.