Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $20,200, a 142% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 47/100 (grade D) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries the lighter load at $2,292 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061 per resident, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 142.3% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($28,748/person difference). Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 47/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $3,823 |
| Other | $4,617 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $0 |
| Education | $21,061 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $1,849 |
| Health | $672 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $249 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $1,517 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $0 |
| Other | $10,028 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.