Tuscaloosa, AL vs Huntsville, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Huntsville, AL spends 47% more per resident than Tuscaloosa, AL: $16,033 against $10,894. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Huntsville, AL edges Tuscaloosa, AL on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 58/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Tuscaloosa, 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: Tuscaloosa, AL leads with police at $1,260 per resident, while Huntsville, AL leads with parks and recreation at $1,600.
Summary
Huntsville spends 32.0% more per capita than Tuscaloosa ($5,138/person difference). Huntsville, AL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $2 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $833 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $656 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $4,511 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,558 |
| Other | $791 | $2,647 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,260 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,043 | $637 |
| Education | $0 | $60 |
| Public Welfare | $2,419 | $708 |
| Health | $540 | $354 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $692 |
| Parks & Recreation | $375 | $1,600 |
| Housing | $1,916 | $2,611 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $136 |
| Utilities | $88 | $2,983 |
| Other | $3,252 | $6,253 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.