Jacksonville, FL vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 24% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $31,456 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 6% in Atlanta, GA.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 23.6% more per capita than Atlanta ($5,999/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $5,645 |
| Other | $4,705 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $513 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $1,587 |
| Health | $332 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $343 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $8,026 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $8,262 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.