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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Birmingham, AL vs Huntsville, AL

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

Summary

Birmingham spends 92.0% more per capita than Huntsville ($14,758/person difference). Huntsville, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Birmingham, AL
Pop. 200,431
C
55/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Huntsville, AL
Pop. 215,025
C
58/100
Budget Balance62
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Birmingham
Huntsville
Total Spending
$6.2B
$3.4B
Spending / Capita
$30,790
$16,033
Total Revenue
$16.0B
$9.5B
Revenue / Capita
$79,635
$44,087
Total Debt
$565.8M
$275.0M
Debt / Capita
$2,823
$1,279
Population
200,431
215,025
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Birmingham$22
Huntsville$0
Fire Protection
Birmingham$1,152
Huntsville$637
Highways & Roads
Birmingham$848
Huntsville$0
Parks & Recreation
Birmingham$1,823
Huntsville$1,600
Education
Birmingham$0
Huntsville$60
Health
Birmingham$683
Huntsville$354

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BirminghamHuntsville
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$281
$833
Income Tax
$0
$656
Intergovernmental
$468
$4,511
Charges & Fees
$10,460
$2,558
Other
$734
$2,647

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BirminghamHuntsville
Police
$22
$0
Fire Protection
$1,152
$637
Highways & Roads
$848
$0
Education
$0
$60
Public Welfare
$2,110
$708
Health
$683
$354
Hospitals
$1,505
$692
Parks & Recreation
$1,823
$1,600
Housing
$5,487
$2,611
Sewerage
$594
$136
Utilities
$5,451
$2,983
Other
$11,115
$6,253
C
Birmingham, AL
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
C
Huntsville, AL
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health

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