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Foster Auditorium, The University of AlabamaFoster Auditorium, The University of Alabama · Photo: Ttownfeen · Public domain
Town Hall · Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa spent more per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities

Tuscaloosa’s city government spent $186.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,688 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.2 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Historic Preservation Commission

5:00 pm · Council Chamber

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$186.7M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,688
In 2022: $1,518, more than 84% of 200 similar cities
Long-term debt
$305.7M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
1,339
full-time · 39 part-time · March payroll $8.1M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,210
0.47% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Tuscaloosa is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,518 per resident, more than 84% of 200 similar cities.Split between districts6 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover Tuscaloosa; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire267 sworn officers and 265 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Tuscaloosa’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,688 per resident a year, or $4.62 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 37%Fees & charges 11%Utility sales 10%Other taxes & licenses 9%From other local governments 8%Interest, fines & other 8%Property taxes 7%From the federal government 6%From the state 4%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $66.4 million; interest on debt $13.3 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $283.2 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,518 per resident in 2022: more than 84% of them

Tuscaloosa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,518 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 200 Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $700, and the middle half spent $308–$1,281. Tuscaloosa spent more than 84% of them.

Middle half of the group, $308–$1,281Median $700Tuscaloosa

Includes sewer and trash ($8.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
200

Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tuscaloosa itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tuscaloosa reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$156.1 million
2023$173.3 million
2024$186.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,518 · 2023: $1,722 · 2024: $1,688. Per resident it went from $1,518 to $1,688 (up 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 102,819 to 110,602.

City staff
1,339

full-time in March 2025, up from 1,312 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,210 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Tuscaloosa$1,210
Northport$883
Alabama$788
Brookwood$617
Vance$566
Cottondale$299
Holt$223
$1,210
typical bill a year
0.47%
effective rate
$255,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Tuscaloosa’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Tuscaloosa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tuscaloosa →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Tuscaloosa

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See tuscaloosa.com for Tuscaloosa’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Tuscaloosa yet.tuscaloosa.com ↗
Who works for Tuscaloosa

One full-time city employee for every 83 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (110,602).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police337 + 13 pt
Fire285
Roads & transportation184 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities127 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash116 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings100 + 10 pt
Housing & development52 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections29 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries16 + 7 pt
Other93 + 2 pt
1,339
full-time
39
part-time
$8.1M
payroll for March 2025
$96.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$71,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
267
sworn police officers
265
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Tuscaloosa didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Tuscaloosa City School District

Tuscaloosa’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Tuscaloosa →
$15,597
per pupil · AL $13,926
11,207
students
$170.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,597 per pupil, $8,105 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 36%State 45%Federal 19%

Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.

Also serving Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa County School District · $12,186 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Tuscaloosa’s votes are counted by county

Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tuscaloosa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tuscaloosa County’s results.

President · Tuscaloosa County’s results85,256 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican59.5%50,724 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%33,399 votes

Others: 1.3% (1,133 votes).

Most votes in Tuscaloosa County: Donald J Trump

Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%

The county’s page

100% of Tuscaloosa lies in Tuscaloosa County. Every 2024 race in Tuscaloosa County is on the county’s page.

Tuscaloosa County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Tuscaloosa

From town hall to Washington

Tuscaloosa sends 6 representatives to the Alabama House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: tuscaloosa.com ↗
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseTuscaloosa is split between 6 districts
    Norman CrowChris EnglandA.J. McCampbellBill LambBryan BrinyarkCurtis Travis
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
    Gerald AllenBobby SingletonMatt Woods
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kay Ivey
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Terri A. SewellRobert B. Aderholt
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama
    Tommy TubervilleKatie Boyd Britt
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Tuscaloosa compares with the towns next door

Tuscaloosa spent $1,518 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $180. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Holt: unincorporated, no town budgetNorthport: no reported 2022 figuresCottondale: unincorporated, no town budgetVance: $180 per resident (2022)Brookwood: no reported 2022 figuresHoltNorthportCottondaleVanceBrookwoodTuscaloosa
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Vance$180$566
Northportestimate$883
Brookwoodestimate$617
Tuscaloosa$1,518$1,210

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Tuscaloosa’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitetuscaloosa.com ↗

Questions about Tuscaloosa’s government

How much does Tuscaloosa spend per resident?

About $1,688 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,518 was more than 84% of 200 Alabama cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Tuscaloosa?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,210 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tuscaloosa.com.

Who runs Tuscaloosa’s government?

See tuscaloosa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tuscaloosa yet.

How did Tuscaloosa vote in 2024?

Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tuscaloosa alone. Tuscaloosa County, where 100% of Tuscaloosa lies, voted Trump 59.5%, Harris 39.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Tuscaloosa?

1,339 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $8.1M (about $96.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Tuscaloosa in the state legislature?

Tuscaloosa is split among 6 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Tuscaloosa?

The next posted meeting is Historic Preservation Commission on Monday, November 9, at 5:00 pm in Council Chamber, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Tuscaloosa’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →