Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY vs Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY spends 50% more per resident than Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY: $20,200 against $13,449. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 84/100 (grade A) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 49-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Lexington-Fayette urban county, 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 Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY leads with police at $1,294.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 103% of total revenue in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY and 53% in Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 50.2% more per capita than Lexington-Fayette urban county ($6,751/person difference). Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 84/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,138 | $362 |
| Income Tax | $24 | $232 |
| Intergovernmental | $412 | $4,660 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,823 | $0 |
| Other | $8,878 | $8,823 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $701 | $1,294 |
| Fire Protection | $1,132 | $222 |
| Education | $956 | $130 |
| Public Welfare | $1,849 | $85 |
| Health | $379 | $1,095 |
| Hospitals | $779 | $275 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,070 | $1,054 |
| Housing | $2,382 | $2,171 |
| Sewerage | $249 | $184 |
| Utilities | $3,844 | $1,972 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,517 | $986 |
| Other | $5,344 | $3,981 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.