Wichita, KS 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 outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $20,200 versus $7,986, a 153% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 55-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $3,553 for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874 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 Wichita, KS at 14% 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 60.5% more per capita than Wichita ($12,214/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $246 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $3,823 |
| Other | $2,783 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $152 | $1,132 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $0 |
| Education | $2 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $1,849 |
| Health | $254 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $249 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $1,517 |
| Other | $2,111 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.