Hoover, AL vs Huntsville, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL spends 21% more per resident than Hoover, AL: $16,033 against $13,201. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Hoover, AL edges Huntsville, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 58/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Hoover, 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 Hoover, AL at $1,400 per resident and in Huntsville, AL at $1,600.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Hoover, AL and 10% in Huntsville, AL.
Summary
Huntsville spends 17.7% more per capita than Hoover ($2,831/person difference). Hoover, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $0 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $656 |
| Intergovernmental | $10,218 | $4,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,558 |
| Other | $845 | $2,647 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,176 | $637 |
| Education | $545 | $60 |
| Public Welfare | $516 | $708 |
| Health | $833 | $354 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $692 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Housing | $2,731 | $2,611 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $136 |
| Utilities | $800 | $2,983 |
| Other | $5,200 | $6,253 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.