Huntsville, AL vs Tuscaloosa, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL spends 47% more per resident than Tuscaloosa, AL: $16,033 against $10,894. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Huntsville, AL edges Tuscaloosa, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 58/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Tuscaloosa, 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 Tuscaloosa, AL leads with police at $1,260.
Summary
Huntsville spends 47.2% more per capita than Tuscaloosa ($5,138/person difference). Huntsville, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $2 |
| Sales Tax | $833 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $656 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,511 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,558 | $0 |
| Other | $2,647 | $791 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,260 |
| Fire Protection | $637 | $1,043 |
| Education | $60 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $708 | $2,419 |
| Health | $354 | $540 |
| Hospitals | $692 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,600 | $375 |
| Housing | $2,611 | $1,916 |
| Sewerage | $136 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $88 |
| Other | $6,253 | $3,252 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.