Madison, AL vs Huntsville, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Madison, AL outspends Huntsville, AL by a wide margin per resident — $26,015 versus $16,033, a 62% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Huntsville, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 58/100 (grade C) against 44/100 (grade D) for Madison, AL — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Madison, 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: Madison, AL leads with fire protection at $2,129 per resident, while Huntsville, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,600.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Madison, AL and 10% in Huntsville, AL.
Summary
Madison spends 62.3% more per capita than Huntsville ($9,983/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 | $73 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $2,566 | $656 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,683 | $4,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,300 | $2,558 |
| Other | $4,323 | $2,647 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,061 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,129 | $637 |
| Education | $0 | $60 |
| Public Welfare | $5,542 | $708 |
| Health | $0 | $354 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $692 |
| Parks & Recreation | $799 | $1,600 |
| Housing | $5,194 | $2,611 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $136 |
| Utilities | $3,593 | $2,983 |
| Other | $6,698 | $6,253 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.