Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0How is Knoxville run?
Knoxville’s city government spent $369.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,887 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Knoxville didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Knoxville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,887 per resident a year, or $5.17 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Knoxville didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Knoxville yet
Every year of Knoxville’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 2,509 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,527 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% 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 Knoxville’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 Knoxville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Knoxville →
Who’s in charge in Knoxville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Knoxville’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on knoxvilletn.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 71 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 (195,889).
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.
Knox County School District
Knoxville’s K–12 school district, shared with Farragut. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,234 per pupil, $7,221 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.
Knoxville’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Knoxville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Knox County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.0%130,815 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.4%87,516 votesOthers: 1.6% (3,533 votes).
Most votes in Knox County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Knoxville lies in Knox County. Every 2024 race in Knox County is on the county’s page.
Knox 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
Knoxville sends 7 representatives to the Tennessee House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: knoxvilletn.gov ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseKnoxville is split between 7 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 Knoxville compares with the towns next door
Knoxville’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $294 to $298 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Knoxville’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Knoxville’s government
How much does Knoxville spend per resident?
About $1,887 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Knoxville didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.5 billion.
What is the property tax rate in Knoxville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,527 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see knoxvilletn.gov.
Who runs Knoxville’s government?
See knoxvilletn.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Knoxville yet.
How did Knoxville vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Knoxville alone. Knox County, where 100% of Knoxville lies, voted Trump 59.0%, Harris 39.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Knoxville?
2,759 full-time and 230 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $19.2M (about $230.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Knoxville in the state legislature?
Knoxville is split among 7 State House districts and 3 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 Knoxville’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 (for Knoxville, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →