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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chattanooga, TN vs Knoxville, TN

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

Summary

Chattanooga spends 34.7% more per capita than Knoxville ($6,223/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
Knoxville, TN
Pop. 191,857
C
51/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chattanooga
Knoxville
Total Spending
$4.4B
$3.4B
Spending / Capita
$24,150
$17,926
Total Revenue
$7.0B
$9.3B
Revenue / Capita
$38,387
$48,542
Total Debt
$0
$350.2M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,825
Population
181,288
191,857
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chattanooga$1,061
Knoxville$258
Highways & Roads
Chattanooga$212
Knoxville$0
Parks & Recreation
Chattanooga$1,596
Knoxville$1,708
Health
Chattanooga$436
Knoxville$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaKnoxville
Sales Tax
$82
$748
Income Tax
$301
$115
Intergovernmental
$597
$48,542
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,851
Other
$13,286
$6,214

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaKnoxville
Fire Protection
$1,061
$258
Highways & Roads
$212
$0
Public Welfare
$895
$573
Health
$436
$0
Hospitals
$697
$607
Parks & Recreation
$1,596
$1,708
Housing
$4,908
$3,667
Sewerage
$175
$224
Utilities
$1,629
$2,554
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$1,080
Other
$10,474
$7,255
B
Chattanooga, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 78/100
Good fiscal health
C
Knoxville, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

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