Montgomery, AL vs Decatur, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Decatur, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $17,185 versus $4,738, a 263% 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 46/100 (grade D) for Decatur, AL — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Montgomery, AL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Decatur, AL carries $1,290 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555 per resident, while Decatur, AL leads with parks and recreation at $2,612.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Montgomery, AL and 100% in Decatur, AL.
Summary
Decatur spends 72.4% more per capita than Montgomery ($12,448/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 | $855 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $975 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,360 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,517 | $37,427 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,804 |
| Other | $442 | $4,387 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $458 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $555 | $254 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $95 |
| Education | $0 | $43 |
| Public Welfare | $615 | $1,023 |
| Health | $0 | $66 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,729 |
| Parks & Recreation | $127 | $2,612 |
| Housing | $1,155 | $2,549 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $164 |
| Utilities | $28 | $3,362 |
| Other | $1,799 | $5,289 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.