Charlotte, NC vs Minneapolis, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Minneapolis, MN spends 38% more per resident than Charlotte, NC: $21,910 against $15,854. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Minneapolis, MN edges Charlotte, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Minneapolis, MN carries the lighter load at $644 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Charlotte, NC at $1,571 per resident and in Minneapolis, MN at $3,486.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Charlotte, NC and 17% in Minneapolis, MN.
Summary
Minneapolis spends 27.6% more per capita than Charlotte ($6,056/person difference). Minneapolis, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $1,989 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $994 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $2,929 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $2,040 |
| Other | $4,866 | $3,254 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $463 | $683 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $221 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $1,500 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $3,486 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $570 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $2,398 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $0 |
| Other | $3,448 | $8,919 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.