Houston, TX vs Minneapolis, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Minneapolis, MN spends 52% more per resident than Houston, TX: $21,910 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Minneapolis, MN — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Minneapolis, MN carries the lighter load at $644 per resident versus $863 for Houston, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in Minneapolis, MN at $3,486.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 17% in Minneapolis, MN.
Summary
Minneapolis spends 34.3% more per capita than Houston ($7,510/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $181 | $1,989 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $994 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $2,929 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,040 |
| Other | $3,960 | $3,254 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $683 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $221 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,500 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $3,486 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,133 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $570 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,398 |
| Other | $6,301 | $8,919 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.