Madison, AL vs Dothan, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Madison, AL spends 52% more per resident than Dothan, AL: $26,015 against $17,116. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Dothan, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 44/100 (grade D) for Madison, AL — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Madison, AL leads with fire protection at $2,129 per resident, while Dothan, AL leads with parks and recreation at $4,666.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Madison, AL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Dothan, AL relies most on other revenue at 26%.
Summary
Madison spends 52.0% more per capita than Dothan ($8,899/person difference). Dothan, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $73 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $671 |
| Income Tax | $2,566 | $756 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,683 | $919 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,300 | $1,664 |
| Other | $4,323 | $3,341 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,061 | $290 |
| Fire Protection | $2,129 | $632 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $290 |
| Public Welfare | $5,542 | $1,177 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $126 |
| Parks & Recreation | $799 | $4,666 |
| Housing | $5,194 | $3,247 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $309 |
| Utilities | $3,593 | $2,759 |
| Other | $6,698 | $3,622 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.