Montgomery, AL vs Birmingham, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Birmingham, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $30,790 versus $4,738, a 550% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Montgomery, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 55/100 (grade C) for Birmingham, AL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Montgomery, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Birmingham, AL carries $2,823 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555 per resident, while Birmingham, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,823.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Montgomery, AL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Birmingham, AL relies most on charges and fees at 13%.
Summary
Birmingham spends 84.6% more per capita than Montgomery ($26,053/person difference). Montgomery, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $3 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $281 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,517 | $468 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $10,460 |
| Other | $442 | $734 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $458 | $22 |
| Fire Protection | $555 | $1,152 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $848 |
| Public Welfare | $615 | $2,110 |
| Health | $0 | $683 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,505 |
| Parks & Recreation | $127 | $1,823 |
| Housing | $1,155 | $5,487 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $594 |
| Utilities | $28 | $5,451 |
| Other | $1,799 | $11,115 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.