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

Huntsville, AL vs Birmingham, AL

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

Summary

Birmingham spends 47.9% 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
Huntsville, AL
Pop. 215,025
C
58/100
Budget Balance62
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Birmingham, AL
Pop. 200,431
C
55/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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