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

Memphis, TN vs Knoxville, TN

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

Summary

Memphis spends 23.3% 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
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Knoxville, TN
Pop. 191,857
C
51/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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