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

Memphis, TN vs Franklin, TN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Memphis, TN spends 57% more per resident than Franklin, TN: $22,111 against $14,081. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Franklin, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 86/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Memphis, TN — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Franklin, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Memphis, TN carries $303 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Memphis, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,397 per resident, while Franklin, TN leads with fire protection at $1,221.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Memphis, TN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Franklin, TN relies most on other revenue at 19%.

Summary

Memphis spends 57.0% more per capita than Franklin ($8,030/person difference). Franklin, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Franklin, TN
Pop. 83,630
A
86/100
Budget Balance89
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency89
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Memphis
Franklin
Total Spending
$13.9B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$22,111
$14,081
Total Revenue
$21.5B
$1.4B
Revenue / Capita
$34,065
$16,873
Total Debt
$191.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$303
$0
Population
630,027
83,630
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Memphis$469
Franklin$1,221
Highways & Roads
Memphis$277
Franklin$0
Parks & Recreation
Memphis$1,397
Franklin$755
Health
Memphis$391
Franklin$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisFranklin
Property Tax
$10
$0
Sales Tax
$496
$18
Income Tax
$1,218
$1,305
Intergovernmental
$34,065
$870
Charges & Fees
$2,077
$1,759
Other
$3,994
$3,204

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisFranklin
Fire Protection
$469
$1,221
Highways & Roads
$277
$0
Public Welfare
$630
$1,715
Health
$391
$0
Hospitals
$1,677
$1,026
Parks & Recreation
$1,397
$755
Housing
$4,683
$2,660
Utilities
$2,578
$2,599
Interest on Debt
$1,158
$412
Other
$8,850
$3,693
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
A
Franklin, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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