Franklin, TN vs Murfreesboro, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Murfreesboro, TN spends 34% more per resident than Franklin, TN: $18,812 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 44/100 (grade D) for Murfreesboro, TN — a 42-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Franklin, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Murfreesboro, TN carries $2,467 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 Murfreesboro, TN leads with education at $7,574.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Franklin, TN at 19% of total revenue, whereas Murfreesboro, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Murfreesboro spends 25.1% more per capita than Franklin ($4,731/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 | $355 |
| Income Tax | $1,305 | $349 |
| Intergovernmental | $870 | $27,007 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,759 | $3,562 |
| Other | $3,204 | $40 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,221 | $558 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $87 |
| Education | $0 | $7,574 |
| Public Welfare | $1,715 | $752 |
| Health | $0 | $86 |
| Hospitals | $1,026 | $300 |
| Parks & Recreation | $755 | $1,074 |
| Housing | $2,660 | $2,655 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $133 |
| Utilities | $2,599 | $2,530 |
| Interest on Debt | $412 | $203 |
| Other | $3,693 | $2,861 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.