Chicago, IL vs Minneapolis, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL spends 58% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $34,551 against $21,910. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Minneapolis, MN edges Chicago, IL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 65/100 (grade B) to 61/100 (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 $977 for Chicago, IL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754 per resident, while Minneapolis, MN leads with parks and recreation at $3,486.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Chicago, IL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Minneapolis, MN relies most on other revenue at 17%.
Summary
Chicago spends 57.7% more per capita than Minneapolis ($12,642/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)
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $1,989 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $994 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $2,929 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $2,040 |
| Other | $3,463 | $3,254 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $683 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $221 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $1,500 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $3,486 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $570 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $2,398 |
| Other | $9,385 | $8,919 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.