Lafayette, LA vs Shreveport, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lafayette, LA outspends Shreveport, LA by a wide margin per resident — $30,028 versus $17,313, a 73% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Shreveport, LA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 44/100 (grade D) for Lafayette, LA — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Shreveport, LA carries the lighter load at $1,271 per resident versus $1,334 for Lafayette, LA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Lafayette, LA leads with fire protection at $1,967 per resident, while Shreveport, LA leads with parks and recreation at $1,799.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Lafayette, LA and 8% in Shreveport, LA.
Summary
Lafayette spends 73.4% more per capita than Shreveport ($12,715/person difference). Shreveport, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,778 | $872 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $653 |
| Intergovernmental | $956 | $48 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,527 | $1,867 |
| Other | $3,792 | $3,306 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $615 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,967 | $241 |
| Highways & Roads | $355 | $235 |
| Education | $1,758 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,573 | $212 |
| Health | $851 | $860 |
| Hospitals | $1,440 | $2,034 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,923 | $1,799 |
| Housing | $8,621 | $3,509 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $235 |
| Utilities | $3,202 | $1,995 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,013 | $810 |
| Other | $6,711 | $5,384 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.