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

Chattanooga, TN vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN

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

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

City A
Chattanooga, TN
Pop. 181,288
B
78/100
Budget Balance90
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency37
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chattanooga
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)
Total Spending
$4.4B
$33.5B
Spending / Capita
$24,150
$48,948
Total Revenue
$7.0B
$94.8B
Revenue / Capita
$38,387
$138,595
Total Debt
$0
$1.6B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,292
Population
181,288
684,103
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chattanooga$0
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$1,519
Fire Protection
Chattanooga$1,061
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$468
Highways & Roads
Chattanooga$212
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$11
Parks & Recreation
Chattanooga$1,596
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$1,015
Education
Chattanooga$0
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$21,061
Health
Chattanooga$436
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)$672

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChattanoogaNashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)
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)

ChattanoogaNashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)
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
B
Chattanooga, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 78/100
Good fiscal health
D
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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