Raleigh, NC vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
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: Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391 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 Raleigh, NC at 47% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) spends 31.1% 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 | $858 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $3,823 |
| Other | $4,740 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $277 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $0 |
| Education | $6 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $1,849 |
| Health | $0 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $249 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $1,517 |
| Other | $3,646 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.