Auburn, AL vs Huntsville, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL spends 35% more per resident than Auburn, AL: $16,033 against $11,856. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Auburn, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 58/100 (grade C) for Huntsville, AL — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Auburn, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Huntsville, AL carries $1,279 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Auburn, AL at $934 per resident and in Huntsville, AL at $1,600.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Auburn, AL and 10% in Huntsville, AL.
Summary
Huntsville spends 26.1% more per capita than Auburn ($4,177/person difference). Auburn, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $22 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $713 | $656 |
| Intergovernmental | $15,016 | $4,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,773 | $2,558 |
| Other | $3,814 | $2,647 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $551 | $637 |
| Education | $0 | $60 |
| Public Welfare | $1,001 | $708 |
| Health | $328 | $354 |
| Hospitals | $1,012 | $692 |
| Parks & Recreation | $934 | $1,600 |
| Housing | $2,229 | $2,611 |
| Sewerage | $182 | $136 |
| Utilities | $1,765 | $2,983 |
| Other | $3,853 | $6,253 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.