Chattanooga, TN vs Johnson City, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Johnson City, TN spends 23% more per resident than Chattanooga, TN: $29,659 against $24,150. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chattanooga, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 78/100 (grade B) against 23/100 (grade F) for Johnson City, TN — a 55-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Chattanooga, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Johnson City, TN carries $1,609 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Chattanooga, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,596 per resident, while Johnson City, TN leads with education at $14,043.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Chattanooga, TN at 35% of total revenue, whereas Johnson City, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Johnson City spends 18.6% more per capita than Chattanooga ($5,509/person difference). Chattanooga, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 78/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $82 | $228 |
| Income Tax | $301 | $2,303 |
| Intergovernmental | $597 | $21,169 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,131 |
| Other | $13,286 | $3,770 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,061 | $304 |
| Highways & Roads | $212 | $192 |
| Education | $0 | $14,043 |
| Public Welfare | $895 | $2,007 |
| Health | $436 | $322 |
| Hospitals | $697 | $92 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,596 | $1,227 |
| Housing | $4,908 | $2,442 |
| Sewerage | $175 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,629 | $3,744 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $628 |
| Other | $10,474 | $4,657 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.