Franklin, TN vs Knoxville, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Knoxville, TN spends 27% more per resident than Franklin, TN: $17,926 against $14,081. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Franklin, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 86/100 (grade A) against 51/100 (grade C) for Knoxville, TN — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Franklin, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Knoxville, TN carries $1,825 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Franklin, TN leads with fire protection at $1,221 per resident, while Knoxville, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,708.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Franklin, TN at 19% of total revenue, whereas Knoxville, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Knoxville spends 21.4% more per capita than Franklin ($3,845/person difference). Franklin, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $18 | $748 |
| Income Tax | $1,305 | $115 |
| Intergovernmental | $870 | $48,542 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,759 | $3,851 |
| Other | $3,204 | $6,214 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,221 | $258 |
| Public Welfare | $1,715 | $573 |
| Hospitals | $1,026 | $607 |
| Parks & Recreation | $755 | $1,708 |
| Housing | $2,660 | $3,667 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $224 |
| Utilities | $2,599 | $2,554 |
| Interest on Debt | $412 | $1,080 |
| Other | $3,693 | $7,255 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.