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

Knoxville, TN vs Hendersonville, 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 Knoxville, TN at $1,708 per resident and in Hendersonville, TN at $447.

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

Summary

Knoxville spends 98.7% 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
Knoxville, TN
Pop. 191,857
C
51/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Hendersonville, TN
Pop. 61,589
C
58/100
Budget Balance12
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Compare More Cities

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