Fort Worth, 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 spends 27% more per resident than Fort Worth, TX: $20,200 against $15,939. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Worth, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Fort Worth, TX carries the lighter load at $1,921 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708 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 Fort Worth, TX at 15% 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 21.1% more per capita than Fort Worth ($4,261/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $198 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $851 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,002 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,594 | $3,823 |
| Other | $3,439 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $156 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $317 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $869 | $1,849 |
| Health | $235 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $1,680 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $708 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $4,217 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $267 | $249 |
| Utilities | $2,674 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $4,817 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.