Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Huntsville, AL vs Decatur, AL

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

Summary

Decatur spends 6.7% more per capita than Huntsville ($1,153/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
Decatur, AL
Pop. 57,525
D
46/100
Budget Balance60
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Huntsville
Decatur
Total Spending
$3.4B
$988.6M
Spending / Capita
$16,033
$17,185
Total Revenue
$9.5B
$2.2B
Revenue / Capita
$44,087
$37,427
Total Debt
$275.0M
$74.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,279
$1,290
Population
215,025
57,525
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Huntsville$637
Decatur$254
Highways & Roads
Huntsville$0
Decatur$95
Parks & Recreation
Huntsville$1,600
Decatur$2,612
Education
Huntsville$60
Decatur$43
Health
Huntsville$354
Decatur$66

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HuntsvilleDecatur
Property Tax
$0
$855
Sales Tax
$833
$975
Income Tax
$656
$1,360
Intergovernmental
$4,511
$37,427
Charges & Fees
$2,558
$2,804
Other
$2,647
$4,387

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HuntsvilleDecatur
Fire Protection
$637
$254
Highways & Roads
$0
$95
Education
$60
$43
Public Welfare
$708
$1,023
Health
$354
$66
Hospitals
$692
$1,729
Parks & Recreation
$1,600
$2,612
Housing
$2,611
$2,549
Sewerage
$136
$164
Utilities
$2,983
$3,362
Other
$6,253
$5,289
C
Huntsville, AL
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health
D
Decatur, AL
Fiscal Health Score: 46/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities