Jacksonville, FL vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 56% more per resident than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY: $31,456 against $20,200. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Jacksonville, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 53/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Jacksonville, FL carries the lighter load at $2,821 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in Jacksonville, FL at $9,436 per resident and in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY at $1,132.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jacksonville, FL at 14% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 55.7% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($11,256/person difference). Jacksonville, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $3,823 |
| Other | $4,705 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $1,132 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $1,849 |
| Health | $332 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $1,517 |
| Other | $9,771 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.