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

Knoxville, TN vs Johnson City, TN

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

Summary

Johnson City spends 39.6% 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
Knoxville, TN
Pop. 191,857
C
51/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Johnson City, TN
Pop. 70,720
F
23/100
Budget Balance10
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Knoxville
Johnson City
Total Spending
$3.4B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$17,926
$29,659
Total Revenue
$9.3B
$1.5B
Revenue / Capita
$48,542
$21,169
Total Debt
$350.2M
$113.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,825
$1,609
Population
191,857
70,720
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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