Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chattanooga, TN vs Johnson City, TN

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Chattanooga, TN
Pop. 181,288
B
78/100
Budget Balance90
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency37
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Johnson City, TN
Pop. 70,720
F
23/100
Budget Balance10
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chattanooga
Johnson City
Total Spending
$4.4B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$24,150
$29,659
Total Revenue
$7.0B
$1.5B
Revenue / Capita
$38,387
$21,169
Total Debt
$0
$113.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,609
Population
181,288
70,720
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chattanooga$1,061
Johnson City$304
Highways & Roads
Chattanooga$212
Johnson City$192
Parks & Recreation
Chattanooga$1,596
Johnson City$1,227
Education
Chattanooga$0
Johnson City$14,043
Health
Chattanooga$436
Johnson City$322

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaJohnson City
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)

ChattanoogaJohnson City
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
B
Chattanooga, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 78/100
Good fiscal health
F
Johnson City, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 23/100
Critical fiscal distress

Compare More Cities