Murfreesboro, TN vs Johnson City, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Johnson City, TN spends 58% more per resident than Murfreesboro, TN: $29,659 against $18,812. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Murfreesboro, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 44/100 (grade D) against 23/100 (grade F) for Johnson City, TN — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Johnson City, TN carries the lighter load at $1,609 per resident versus $2,467 for Murfreesboro, TN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Murfreesboro, TN at $7,574 per resident and in Johnson City, TN at $14,043.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Murfreesboro, TN and 100% in Johnson City, TN.
Summary
Johnson City spends 36.6% more per capita than Murfreesboro ($10,847/person difference). Murfreesboro, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 44/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $355 | $228 |
| Income Tax | $349 | $2,303 |
| Intergovernmental | $27,007 | $21,169 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,562 | $3,131 |
| Other | $40 | $3,770 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $558 | $304 |
| Highways & Roads | $87 | $192 |
| Education | $7,574 | $14,043 |
| Public Welfare | $752 | $2,007 |
| Health | $86 | $322 |
| Hospitals | $300 | $92 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,074 | $1,227 |
| Housing | $2,655 | $2,442 |
| Sewerage | $133 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,530 | $3,744 |
| Interest on Debt | $203 | $628 |
| Other | $2,861 | $4,657 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.