Chattanooga, TN vs Knoxville, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chattanooga, TN spends 35% more per resident than Knoxville, TN: $24,150 against $17,926. 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 51/100 (grade C) for Knoxville, TN — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Chattanooga, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Knoxville, TN carries $1,825 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 Knoxville, TN at $1,708.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Chattanooga, TN at 35% of total revenue, whereas Knoxville, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.