Bloomington, MN vs Duluth, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Duluth, MN spends 54% more per resident than Bloomington, MN: $32,786 against $21,342. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bloomington, MN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 48/100 (grade D) against 30/100 (grade F) for Duluth, MN — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Bloomington, MN carries the lighter load at $355 per resident versus $1,961 for Duluth, MN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Bloomington, MN at $1,297 per resident and in Duluth, MN at $4,217.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Bloomington, MN at 40% of total revenue, whereas Duluth, MN relies most on other revenue at 32%.
Summary
Duluth spends 34.9% more per capita than Bloomington ($11,444/person difference). Bloomington, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 48/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $956 | $1,363 |
| Sales Tax | $568 | $2,261 |
| Income Tax | $1,025 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,294 | $1,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,186 | $2,388 |
| Other | $774 | $4,697 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $282 | $465 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,499 | $1,859 |
| Health | $0 | $530 |
| Hospitals | $1,423 | $1,029 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,297 | $4,217 |
| Housing | $3,707 | $3,654 |
| Utilities | $4,291 | $1,313 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3,181 |
| Other | $7,817 | $16,539 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.