Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Chattanooga, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Chattanooga, TN by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $24,150, a 103% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Chattanooga, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 78/100 (grade B) against 47/100 (grade D) for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Chattanooga, TN reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries $2,292 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061 per resident, while Chattanooga, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,596.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Chattanooga, TN relies most on other revenue at 35%.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 102.7% more per capita than Chattanooga ($24,798/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)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $82 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $301 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $597 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $0 |
| Other | $4,617 | $13,286 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $1,061 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $212 |
| Education | $21,061 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $895 |
| Health | $672 | $436 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $697 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $1,596 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $4,908 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $175 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $1,629 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $0 |
| Other | $10,028 | $10,474 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.