Montgomery, AL vs Dothan, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dothan, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $17,116 versus $4,738, a 261% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Dothan, AL edges Montgomery, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 68/100 (grade B) to 64/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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: Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555 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 Montgomery, AL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Dothan, AL relies most on other revenue at 26%.
Summary
Dothan spends 72.3% more per capita than Montgomery ($12,379/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 | $3 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $671 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $756 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,517 | $919 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,664 |
| Other | $442 | $3,341 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $458 | $290 |
| Fire Protection | $555 | $632 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $290 |
| Public Welfare | $615 | $1,177 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $126 |
| Parks & Recreation | $127 | $4,666 |
| Housing | $1,155 | $3,247 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $309 |
| Utilities | $28 | $2,759 |
| Other | $1,799 | $3,622 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.