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

Knoxville, TN vs Memphis, TN

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

Summary

Memphis spends 18.9% more per capita than Knoxville ($4,185/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

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
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Knoxville
Memphis
Total Spending
$3.4B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$17,926
$22,111
Total Revenue
$9.3B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$48,542
$34,065
Total Debt
$350.2M
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,825
$303
Population
191,857
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Knoxville$258
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Knoxville$0
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Knoxville$1,708
Memphis$1,397
Health
Knoxville$0
Memphis$391

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

KnoxvilleMemphis
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$748
$496
Income Tax
$115
$1,218
Intergovernmental
$48,542
$34,065
Charges & Fees
$3,851
$2,077
Other
$6,214
$3,994

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

KnoxvilleMemphis
Fire Protection
$258
$469
Highways & Roads
$0
$277
Public Welfare
$573
$630
Health
$0
$391
Hospitals
$607
$1,677
Parks & Recreation
$1,708
$1,397
Housing
$3,667
$4,683
Sewerage
$224
$0
Utilities
$2,554
$2,578
Interest on Debt
$1,080
$1,158
Other
$7,255
$8,850
C
Knoxville, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

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