Hoover, AL vs Mobile, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Mobile, AL spends 20% more per resident than Hoover, AL: $15,777 against $13,201. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Hoover, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 55/100 (grade C) for Mobile, AL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Hoover, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,400 per resident, while Mobile, AL leads with fire protection at $2,010.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Hoover, AL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Mobile, AL relies most on other revenue at 111%.
Summary
Mobile spends 16.3% more per capita than Hoover ($2,576/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)
| Intergovernmental | $10,218 | $1,338 |
| Other | $845 | $1,479 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $537 |
| Fire Protection | $1,176 | $2,010 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $501 |
| Education | $545 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $516 | $2,357 |
| Health | $833 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,400 | $524 |
| Housing | $2,731 | $2,998 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $800 | $791 |
| Other | $5,200 | $5,930 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.