Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Johnson City, TN vs Knoxville, TN

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

Summary

Johnson City spends 65.4% more per capita than Knoxville ($11,733/person difference). Knoxville, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Johnson City, TN
Pop. 70,720
F
23/100
Budget Balance10
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Johnson City
Knoxville
Total Spending
$2.1B
$3.4B
Spending / Capita
$29,659
$17,926
Total Revenue
$1.5B
$9.3B
Revenue / Capita
$21,169
$48,542
Total Debt
$113.8M
$350.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,609
$1,825
Population
70,720
191,857
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Johnson City$304
Knoxville$258
Highways & Roads
Johnson City$192
Knoxville$0
Parks & Recreation
Johnson City$1,227
Knoxville$1,708
Education
Johnson City$14,043
Knoxville$0
Health
Johnson City$322
Knoxville$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Johnson CityKnoxville
Sales Tax
$228
$748
Income Tax
$2,303
$115
Intergovernmental
$21,169
$48,542
Charges & Fees
$3,131
$3,851
Other
$3,770
$6,214

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Johnson CityKnoxville
Fire Protection
$304
$258
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Education
$14,043
$0
Public Welfare
$2,007
$573
Health
$322
$0
Hospitals
$92
$607
Parks & Recreation
$1,227
$1,708
Housing
$2,442
$3,667
Sewerage
$0
$224
Utilities
$3,744
$2,554
Interest on Debt
$628
$1,080
Other
$4,657
$7,255
F
Johnson City, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 23/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
Knoxville, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities