Memphis, TN vs Chattanooga, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chattanooga spends 8.4% more per capita than Memphis ($2,039/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)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $496 | $82 |
| Income Tax | $1,218 | $301 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,065 | $597 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,077 | $0 |
| Other | $3,994 | $13,286 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $469 | $1,061 |
| Highways & Roads | $277 | $212 |
| Public Welfare | $630 | $895 |
| Health | $391 | $436 |
| Hospitals | $1,677 | $697 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,397 | $1,596 |
| Housing | $4,683 | $4,908 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $175 |
| Utilities | $2,578 | $1,629 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,158 | $2,068 |
| Other | $8,850 | $10,474 |
Compare More Cities
The side-by-side above pulls the the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.