Minneapolis, MN vs Chicago, IL
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: Minneapolis, MN leads with parks and recreation at $3,486 per resident, while Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Minneapolis, MN at 17% of total revenue, whereas Chicago, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Chicago spends 36.6% 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 | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $1,989 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $994 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,929 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,040 | $2,847 |
| Other | $3,254 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $683 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $1,858 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,486 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,133 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $570 | $129 |
| Utilities | $2,398 | $2,983 |
| Other | $8,919 | $9,385 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.