Employee salaries for the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, once at relative parity, sharply diverged in the latter half of 2025.
A Chattanooga Times Free Press analysis of employee data, using snapshots provided by both municipalities in February and December, shows a big jump in average and median pay for city employees compared to their county counterparts.
While the numbers come from the same calendar year, they represent salaries from separate fiscal years and separate budgets. Both the city and the county run on a fiscal year that begins and ends each June. The salary data from December represents budgets passed for the 2026 fiscal year.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly secured an increase in property taxes in 2025 to fund police and fire raises, so the data shows the outcome of that action. County Mayor Weston Wamp opted not to pursue an increase in property taxes when property values were reassessed.