Houston, 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 40% more per resident than Houston, TX: $20,200 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, 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, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361 per resident, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 103% in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 28.7% more per capita than Houston ($5,801/person difference). Houston, 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 | $181 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $3,823 |
| Other | $3,960 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,849 |
| Health | $210 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $6,301 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.