Mobile, AL vs Hoover, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Mobile, AL spends 20% more per resident than Hoover, AL: $15,777 against $13,201. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Hoover, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 55/100 (grade C) for Mobile, AL — a 10-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: Mobile, AL leads with fire protection at $2,010 per resident, while Hoover, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,400.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Mobile, AL at 111% of total revenue, whereas Hoover, AL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Mobile spends 19.5% more per capita than Hoover ($2,576/person difference). Hoover, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Intergovernmental | $1,338 | $10,218 |
| Other | $1,479 | $845 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $537 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,010 | $1,176 |
| Highways & Roads | $501 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $545 |
| Public Welfare | $2,357 | $516 |
| Health | $0 | $833 |
| Parks & Recreation | $524 | $1,400 |
| Housing | $2,998 | $2,731 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $0 |
| Utilities | $791 | $800 |
| Other | $5,930 | $5,200 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.