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

Hendersonville, TN vs Knoxville, TN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Knoxville, TN outspends Hendersonville, TN by a wide margin per resident — $17,926 versus $9,022, a 99% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Hendersonville, TN edges Knoxville, TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 58/100 (grade C) to 51/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Hendersonville, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Knoxville, TN carries $1,825 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Hendersonville, TN at $447 per resident and in Knoxville, TN at $1,708.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Hendersonville, TN and 100% in Knoxville, TN.

Summary

Knoxville spends 49.7% more per capita than Hendersonville ($8,904/person difference). Hendersonville, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Hendersonville, TN
Pop. 61,589
C
58/100
Budget Balance12
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Knoxville, TN
Pop. 191,857
C
51/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Hendersonville
Knoxville
Total Spending
$555.6M
$3.4B
Spending / Capita
$9,022
$17,926
Total Revenue
$88.8M
$9.3B
Revenue / Capita
$1,442
$48,542
Total Debt
$0
$350.2M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,825
Population
61,589
191,857
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Hendersonville$215
Knoxville$258
Parks & Recreation
Hendersonville$447
Knoxville$1,708
Health
Hendersonville$10
Knoxville$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HendersonvilleKnoxville
Sales Tax
$70
$748
Income Tax
$1,013
$115
Intergovernmental
$1,443
$48,542
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,851
Other
$466
$6,214

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HendersonvilleKnoxville
Fire Protection
$215
$258
Public Welfare
$1,075
$573
Health
$10
$0
Hospitals
$4
$607
Parks & Recreation
$447
$1,708
Housing
$2,586
$3,667
Sewerage
$149
$224
Utilities
$1,234
$2,554
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,080
Other
$3,303
$7,255
C
Hendersonville, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health
C
Knoxville, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.