Portland, OR vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR spends 17% more per resident than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY: $23,675 against $20,200. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 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 Portland, OR at 19% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Portland spends 17.2% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($3,474/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $3,823 |
| Other | $7,916 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $1,849 |
| Health | $0 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $6,689 | $5,344 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.