Knoxville, TN vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Knoxville, TN by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $17,926, a 173% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Knoxville, TN edges Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Knoxville, TN carries the lighter load at $1,825 per resident versus $2,292 for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Knoxville, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,708 per resident, while Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Knoxville, TN and 10% in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 63.4% more per capita than Knoxville ($31,022/person difference). Knoxville, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $748 | $373 |
| Income Tax | $115 | $135 |
| Intergovernmental | $48,542 | $13,787 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,851 | $2,444 |
| Other | $6,214 | $4,617 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $258 | $468 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $11 |
| Education | $0 | $21,061 |
| Public Welfare | $573 | $738 |
| Health | $0 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $607 | $2,100 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,708 | $1,015 |
| Housing | $3,667 | $4,231 |
| Sewerage | $224 | $217 |
| Utilities | $2,554 | $3,140 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,080 | $1,667 |
| General Admin | $0 | $2,081 |
| Other | $7,255 | $10,028 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.