Knoxville, TN vs Chattanooga, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chattanooga, TN spends 35% more per resident than Knoxville, TN: $24,150 against $17,926. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chattanooga, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 78/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Knoxville, TN — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Chattanooga, 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 Knoxville, TN at $1,708 per resident and in Chattanooga, TN at $1,596.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Knoxville, TN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Chattanooga, TN relies most on other revenue at 35%.
Summary
Chattanooga spends 25.8% more per capita than Knoxville ($6,223/person difference). Chattanooga, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 78/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $748 | $82 |
| Income Tax | $115 | $301 |
| Intergovernmental | $48,542 | $597 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,851 | $0 |
| Other | $6,214 | $13,286 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $258 | $1,061 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $212 |
| Public Welfare | $573 | $895 |
| Health | $0 | $436 |
| Hospitals | $607 | $697 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,708 | $1,596 |
| Housing | $3,667 | $4,908 |
| Sewerage | $224 | $175 |
| Utilities | $2,554 | $1,629 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,080 | $2,068 |
| Other | $7,255 | $10,474 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.