Birmingham, AL vs Montgomery, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Birmingham, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $30,790 versus $4,738, a 550% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Montgomery, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 55/100 (grade C) for Birmingham, AL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Montgomery, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Birmingham, AL carries $2,823 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Birmingham, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,823 per resident, while Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Birmingham, AL at 13% of total revenue, whereas Montgomery, AL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Birmingham spends 549.9% more per capita than Montgomery ($26,053/person difference). Montgomery, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $44 | $3 |
| Sales Tax | $281 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $468 | $2,517 |
| Charges & Fees | $10,460 | $0 |
| Other | $734 | $442 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $22 | $458 |
| Fire Protection | $1,152 | $555 |
| Highways & Roads | $848 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,110 | $615 |
| Health | $683 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,505 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,823 | $127 |
| Housing | $5,487 | $1,155 |
| Sewerage | $594 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,451 | $28 |
| Other | $11,115 | $1,799 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.