Murfreesboro, TN vs Clarksville, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Murfreesboro, TN outspends Clarksville, TN by a wide margin per resident — $18,812 versus $8,523, a 121% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Clarksville, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 44/100 (grade D) for Murfreesboro, TN — a 36-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Clarksville, TN carries the lighter load at $833 per resident versus $2,467 for Murfreesboro, TN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Murfreesboro, TN leads with education at $7,574 per resident, while Clarksville, TN leads with parks and recreation at $611.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Murfreesboro, TN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Clarksville, TN relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Murfreesboro spends 120.7% more per capita than Clarksville ($10,289/person difference). Clarksville, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $355 | $118 |
| Income Tax | $349 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $27,007 | $1,799 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,562 | $2,073 |
| Other | $40 | $3,159 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $558 | $299 |
| Highways & Roads | $87 | $45 |
| Education | $7,574 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $752 | $1,038 |
| Health | $86 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $300 | $137 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,074 | $611 |
| Housing | $2,655 | $2,349 |
| Sewerage | $133 | $219 |
| Utilities | $2,530 | $1,345 |
| Interest on Debt | $203 | $444 |
| Other | $2,861 | $2,036 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.