Tuscaloosa, AL vs Montgomery, AL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tuscaloosa, AL outspends Montgomery, AL by a wide margin per resident — $10,894 versus $4,738, a 130% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Montgomery, AL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 55/100 (grade C) for Tuscaloosa, AL — a 9-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 Montgomery, AL leads with fire protection at $555.
Summary
Tuscaloosa spends 130.0% more per capita than Montgomery ($6,157/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 | $2 | $3 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $0 | $2,517 |
| Other | $791 | $442 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,260 | $458 |
| Fire Protection | $1,043 | $555 |
| Public Welfare | $2,419 | $615 |
| Health | $540 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $375 | $127 |
| Housing | $1,916 | $1,155 |
| Utilities | $88 | $28 |
| Other | $3,252 | $1,799 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.