Montgomery, AL vs Huntsville, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $16,033 versus $4,738, a 238% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Montgomery, AL edges Huntsville, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 64/100 (grade C) to 58/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Montgomery, 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: Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555 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 Montgomery, AL and 10% in Huntsville, AL.
Summary
Huntsville spends 70.5% more per capita than Montgomery ($11,295/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $656 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,517 | $4,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,558 |
| Other | $442 | $2,647 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $458 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $555 | $637 |
| Education | $0 | $60 |
| Public Welfare | $615 | $708 |
| Health | $0 | $354 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $692 |
| Parks & Recreation | $127 | $1,600 |
| Housing | $1,155 | $2,611 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $136 |
| Utilities | $28 | $2,983 |
| Other | $1,799 | $6,253 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.