Atlanta, GA vs Albuquerque, NM
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA spends 48% more per resident than Albuquerque, NM: $25,457 against $17,237. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA edges Albuquerque, NM on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 85/100 (grade A) to 81/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Atlanta, GA at $1,274 per resident and in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Atlanta, GA at 6% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.
Summary
Atlanta spends 47.7% more per capita than Albuquerque ($8,220/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $36 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $355 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $1,580 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $1,897 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $2,633 |
| Other | $5,461 | $2,174 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $440 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $172 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $419 |
| Health | $0 | $291 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $328 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $1,990 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $4,080 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $0 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $5,212 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,096 |
| Other | $8,262 | $3,209 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.