Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY vs Bowling Green, KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY outspends Bowling Green, KY by a wide margin per resident — $20,200 versus $10,426, a 94% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Bowling Green, KY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 45-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bowling Green, KY reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries $3,553 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132 per resident, while Bowling Green, KY leads with parks and recreation at $1,273.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY at 103% of total revenue, whereas Bowling Green, KY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 93.7% more per capita than Bowling Green ($9,774/person difference). Bowling Green, KY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,138 | $348 |
| Income Tax | $24 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $412 | $23,385 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,823 | $0 |
| Other | $8,878 | $1,819 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $701 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,132 | $0 |
| Education | $956 | $85 |
| Public Welfare | $1,849 | $861 |
| Health | $379 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $779 | $1,024 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,070 | $1,273 |
| Housing | $2,382 | $2,188 |
| Sewerage | $249 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,844 | $4 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,517 | $227 |
| Other | $5,344 | $4,763 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.