Atlanta, GA vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 24% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $31,456 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 per resident, while Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 6% of total revenue in Atlanta, GA and 14% in Jacksonville, FL.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 19.1% more per capita than Atlanta ($5,999/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 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $2,119 |
| Other | $5,461 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $9,436 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $0 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $486 |
| Health | $0 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $176 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,942 |
| Other | $8,262 | $9,771 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.