Decatur, AL vs Tuscaloosa, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Decatur, AL spends 58% more per resident than Tuscaloosa, AL: $17,185 against $10,894. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Tuscaloosa, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 55/100 (grade C) against 46/100 (grade D) for Decatur, AL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Tuscaloosa, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Decatur, AL carries $1,290 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Decatur, AL leads with parks and recreation at $2,612 per resident, while Tuscaloosa, AL leads with police at $1,260.
Summary
Decatur spends 57.7% more per capita than Tuscaloosa ($6,291/person difference). Tuscaloosa, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $855 | $2 |
| Sales Tax | $975 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $1,360 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $37,427 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,804 | $0 |
| Other | $4,387 | $791 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,260 |
| Fire Protection | $254 | $1,043 |
| Highways & Roads | $95 | $0 |
| Education | $43 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,023 | $2,419 |
| Health | $66 | $540 |
| Hospitals | $1,729 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,612 | $375 |
| Housing | $2,549 | $1,916 |
| Sewerage | $164 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,362 | $88 |
| Other | $5,289 | $3,252 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.