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

Chattanooga, TN vs Murfreesboro, TN

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

Summary

Chattanooga spends 28.4% more per capita than Murfreesboro ($5,338/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
Murfreesboro, TN
Pop. 153,487
D
44/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency68
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chattanooga
Murfreesboro
Total Spending
$4.4B
$2.9B
Spending / Capita
$24,150
$18,812
Total Revenue
$7.0B
$4.1B
Revenue / Capita
$38,387
$27,007
Total Debt
$0
$378.7M
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,467
Population
181,288
153,487
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chattanooga$1,061
Murfreesboro$558
Highways & Roads
Chattanooga$212
Murfreesboro$87
Parks & Recreation
Chattanooga$1,596
Murfreesboro$1,074
Education
Chattanooga$0
Murfreesboro$7,574
Health
Chattanooga$436
Murfreesboro$86

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaMurfreesboro
Sales Tax
$82
$355
Income Tax
$301
$349
Intergovernmental
$597
$27,007
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,562
Other
$13,286
$40

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaMurfreesboro
Fire Protection
$1,061
$558
Highways & Roads
$212
$87
Education
$0
$7,574
Public Welfare
$895
$752
Health
$436
$86
Hospitals
$697
$300
Parks & Recreation
$1,596
$1,074
Housing
$4,908
$2,655
Sewerage
$175
$133
Utilities
$1,629
$2,530
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$203
Other
$10,474
$2,861
B
Chattanooga, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 78/100
Good fiscal health
D
Murfreesboro, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health

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