Denver, CO vs Minneapolis, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 53% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $33,582 against $21,910. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Minneapolis, MN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Minneapolis, MN carries the lighter load at $644 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Denver, CO at $3,319 per resident and in Minneapolis, MN at $3,486.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Denver, CO at 37% of total revenue, whereas Minneapolis, MN relies most on other revenue at 17%.
Summary
Denver spends 53.3% more per capita than Minneapolis ($11,672/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 | $2,070 | $1,989 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $994 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $2,929 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $2,040 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,254 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $683 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $221 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $1,500 |
| Health | $693 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $3,486 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $570 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $2,398 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $8,919 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.