Tuscaloosa, AL vs Hoover, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Hoover, AL spends 21% more per resident than Tuscaloosa, AL: $13,201 against $10,894. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Hoover, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 55/100 (grade C) for Tuscaloosa, AL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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: Tuscaloosa, AL leads with police at $1,260 per resident, while Hoover, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,400.
Summary
Hoover spends 17.5% more per capita than Tuscaloosa ($2,307/person difference). Hoover, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $2 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $10,218 |
| Other | $791 | $845 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,260 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,043 | $1,176 |
| Education | $0 | $545 |
| Public Welfare | $2,419 | $516 |
| Health | $540 | $833 |
| Parks & Recreation | $375 | $1,400 |
| Housing | $1,916 | $2,731 |
| Utilities | $88 | $800 |
| Other | $3,252 | $5,200 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.