Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY spends 45% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $20,200 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 41-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Raleigh, NC carries the lighter load at $906 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. 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 Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391.
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 Raleigh, NC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 47%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 45.2% more per capita than Raleigh ($6,289/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,138 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $24 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $412 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,823 | $2,681 |
| Other | $8,878 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $701 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,132 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $448 |
| Education | $956 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $1,849 | $498 |
| Health | $379 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $779 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,070 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $2,382 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $249 | $281 |
| Utilities | $3,844 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,517 | $1,513 |
| Other | $5,344 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.