Chattanooga, TN vs Clarksville, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chattanooga, TN outspends Clarksville, TN by a wide margin per resident — $24,150 versus $8,523, a 183% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Clarksville, TN edges Chattanooga, TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 80/100 (grade A) to 78/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Chattanooga, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Clarksville, TN carries $833 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Chattanooga, TN at $1,596 per resident and in Clarksville, TN at $611.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 35% of total revenue in Chattanooga, TN and 9% in Clarksville, TN.
Summary
Chattanooga spends 183.3% more per capita than Clarksville ($15,626/person difference). Clarksville, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $82 | $118 |
| Income Tax | $301 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $597 | $1,799 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,073 |
| Other | $13,286 | $3,159 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,061 | $299 |
| Highways & Roads | $212 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $895 | $1,038 |
| Health | $436 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $697 | $137 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,596 | $611 |
| Housing | $4,908 | $2,349 |
| Sewerage | $175 | $219 |
| Utilities | $1,629 | $1,345 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $444 |
| Other | $10,474 | $2,036 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.