Huntsville, AL vs Montgomery, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $16,033 versus $4,738, a 238% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Montgomery, AL edges Huntsville, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 64/100 (grade C) 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.
Montgomery, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Huntsville, AL carries $1,279 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Huntsville, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,600 per resident, while Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in Huntsville, AL and 100% in Montgomery, AL.
Summary
Huntsville spends 238.4% more per capita than Montgomery ($11,295/person difference). Montgomery, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $3 |
| Sales Tax | $833 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $656 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,511 | $2,517 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,558 | $0 |
| Other | $2,647 | $442 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $458 |
| Fire Protection | $637 | $555 |
| Education | $60 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $708 | $615 |
| Health | $354 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $692 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,600 | $127 |
| Housing | $2,611 | $1,155 |
| Sewerage | $136 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $28 |
| Other | $6,253 | $1,799 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.