Tuscaloosa, AL vs Decatur, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Decatur, AL spends 58% more per resident than Tuscaloosa, AL: $17,185 against $10,894. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Tuscaloosa, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 55/100 (grade C) against 46/100 (grade D) for Decatur, AL — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Tuscaloosa, 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: Tuscaloosa, AL leads with police at $1,260 per resident, while Decatur, AL leads with parks and recreation at $2,612.
Summary
Decatur spends 36.6% more per capita than Tuscaloosa ($6,291/person difference). Tuscaloosa, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $2 | $855 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $975 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,360 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $37,427 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,804 |
| Other | $791 | $4,387 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,260 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,043 | $254 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $95 |
| Education | $0 | $43 |
| Public Welfare | $2,419 | $1,023 |
| Health | $540 | $66 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,729 |
| Parks & Recreation | $375 | $2,612 |
| Housing | $1,916 | $2,549 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $164 |
| Utilities | $88 | $3,362 |
| Other | $3,252 | $5,289 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.