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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Detroit, MI vs Minneapolis, MN

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Detroit, MI spends 42% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $31,087 against $21,910. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Detroit, MI edges Minneapolis, MN on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 69/100 (grade B) to 65/100 (grade B). 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 $776 for Detroit, MI. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429 per resident, while Minneapolis, MN leads with parks and recreation at $3,486.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 15% of total revenue in Detroit, MI and 17% in Minneapolis, MN.

Summary

Detroit spends 41.9% more per capita than Minneapolis ($9,178/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Minneapolis, MN
Pop. 426,877
B
65/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden91
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Minneapolis
Total Spending
$19.8B
$9.4B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$21,910
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$8.2B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$19,159
Total Debt
$493.9M
$274.8M
Debt / Capita
$776
$644
Population
636,787
426,877
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Minneapolis$683
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Minneapolis$221
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Minneapolis$3,486
Health
Detroit$396
Minneapolis$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitMinneapolis
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$1,989
Income Tax
$1,045
$994
Intergovernmental
$291
$2,929
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,040
Other
$6,892
$3,254

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitMinneapolis
Fire Protection
$2,429
$683
Highways & Roads
$0
$221
Public Welfare
$833
$1,500
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$0
Parks & Recreation
$950
$3,486
Housing
$5,791
$4,133
Sewerage
$451
$570
Utilities
$2,737
$2,398
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$8,919
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
Minneapolis, MN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.