Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Atlanta, GA vs Albuquerque, NM

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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

City A
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Albuquerque, NM
Pop. 562,551
A
81/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Atlanta
Albuquerque
Total Spending
$12.6B
$9.7B
Spending / Capita
$25,457
$17,237
Total Revenue
$77.6B
$13.3B
Revenue / Capita
$156,803
$23,652
Total Debt
$0
$344.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$613
Population
494,838
562,551
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Atlanta$315
Albuquerque$0
Fire Protection
Atlanta$464
Albuquerque$440
Highways & Roads
Atlanta$513
Albuquerque$172
Parks & Recreation
Atlanta$1,274
Albuquerque$1,990
Education
Atlanta$25
Albuquerque$0
Health
Atlanta$0
Albuquerque$291

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaAlbuquerque
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)

AtlantaAlbuquerque
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
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Albuquerque, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.