Chattanooga, TN vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Chattanooga, TN by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $24,150, a 103% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Chattanooga, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 78/100 (grade B) against 47/100 (grade D) for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Chattanooga, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries $2,292 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Chattanooga, TN at 35% of total revenue, whereas Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 50.7% more per capita than Chattanooga ($24,798/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 | $373 |
| Income Tax | $301 | $135 |
| Intergovernmental | $597 | $13,787 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,444 |
| Other | $13,286 | $4,617 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $1,061 | $468 |
| Highways & Roads | $212 | $11 |
| Education | $0 | $21,061 |
| Public Welfare | $895 | $738 |
| Health | $436 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $697 | $2,100 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,596 | $1,015 |
| Housing | $4,908 | $4,231 |
| Sewerage | $175 | $217 |
| Utilities | $1,629 | $3,140 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $1,667 |
| General Admin | $0 | $2,081 |
| Other | $10,474 | $10,028 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.