Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0Chattanooga spent more per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Chattanooga’s city government spent $516.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,804 per resident. Water and other utilities ($812.4 million) and the airport ($32.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chattanooga is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,469 per resident in 2022: more than 98% of them
Chattanooga’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,469 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 174 Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $646, and the middle half spent $336–$1,061. Chattanooga spent more than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($108.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Chattanooga itself left out).
About $2,804 per resident a year, or $7.68 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Chattanooga reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,469 · 2023: $2,654 · 2024: $2,804.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,825 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,265 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Chattanooga’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Chattanooga’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chattanooga →
Who’s in charge in Chattanooga
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chattanooga’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on chattanooga.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 61 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (184,086).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Hamilton County School District
Chattanooga’s K–12 school district, shared with Collegedale, East Ridge, Lakesite, Lookout Mountain, Red Bank and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,443 per pupil, $10,089 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Chattanooga’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chattanooga alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hamilton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.7%97,195 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.7%74,437 votesOthers: 1.6% (2,806 votes).
Most votes in Hamilton County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Chattanooga lies in Hamilton County. Every 2024 race in Hamilton County is on the county’s page.
Hamilton County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Chattanooga sends 5 representatives to the Tennessee House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: chattanooga.gov ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseChattanooga is split between 5 districts
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Chattanooga compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Soddy-Daisy | $583 | $1,487 |
| Signal Mountain | $963 | $3,877 |
| East Ridge | estimate | $1,555 |
| Lookout Mountain | estimate | $6,705 |
| Collegedale | estimate | $2,402 |
| Chattanooga | $2,469 | $2,265 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Chattanooga’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chattanooga’s government
How much does Chattanooga spend per resident?
About $2,804 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,469 was more than 98% of 174 Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chattanooga?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,265 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see chattanooga.gov.
Who runs Chattanooga’s government?
See chattanooga.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chattanooga yet.
How did Chattanooga vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Chattanooga alone. Hamilton County, where 100% of Chattanooga lies, voted Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Chattanooga?
3,042 full-time and 212 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19.9M (about $238.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chattanooga in the state legislature?
Chattanooga is split among 5 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Tennessee Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chattanooga’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →