Atlanta, GA vs Macon-Bibb County, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA outspends Macon-Bibb County, GA by a wide margin per resident — $25,457 versus $14,678, a 73% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Macon-Bibb County, GA — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 per resident, while Macon-Bibb County, GA leads with police at $1,334.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 6% of total revenue in Atlanta, GA and 100% in Macon-Bibb County, GA.
Summary
Atlanta spends 73.4% more per capita than Macon-Bibb County ($10,779/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $828 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $8,434 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $0 |
| Other | $5,461 | $1,139 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $1,334 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $918 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $646 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $552 |
| Health | $0 | $252 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $559 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $659 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $1,875 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $141 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $1,074 |
| Other | $8,262 | $6,669 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.