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

Minneapolis, MN vs Duluth, MN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Duluth, MN spends 50% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $32,786 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 30/100 (grade F) for Duluth, MN — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Minneapolis, MN carries the lighter load at $644 per resident versus $1,961 for Duluth, MN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Minneapolis, MN at $3,486 per resident and in Duluth, MN at $4,217.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 17% of total revenue in Minneapolis, MN and 32% in Duluth, MN.

Summary

Duluth spends 33.2% more per capita than Minneapolis ($10,877/person difference). Minneapolis, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Minneapolis, MN
Pop. 426,877
B
65/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden91
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Duluth, MN
Pop. 86,772
F
30/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity93
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Minneapolis
Duluth
Total Spending
$9.4B
$2.8B
Spending / Capita
$21,910
$32,786
Total Revenue
$8.2B
$1.3B
Revenue / Capita
$19,159
$14,877
Total Debt
$274.8M
$170.2M
Debt / Capita
$644
$1,961
Population
426,877
86,772
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Minneapolis$683
Duluth$465
Highways & Roads
Minneapolis$221
Duluth$0
Parks & Recreation
Minneapolis$3,486
Duluth$4,217
Health
Minneapolis$0
Duluth$530

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MinneapolisDuluth
Property Tax
$0
$1,363
Sales Tax
$1,989
$2,261
Income Tax
$994
$0
Intergovernmental
$2,929
$1,348
Charges & Fees
$2,040
$2,388
Other
$3,254
$4,697

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MinneapolisDuluth
Fire Protection
$683
$465
Highways & Roads
$221
$0
Public Welfare
$1,500
$1,859
Health
$0
$530
Hospitals
$0
$1,029
Parks & Recreation
$3,486
$4,217
Housing
$4,133
$3,654
Sewerage
$570
$0
Utilities
$2,398
$1,313
Interest on Debt
$0
$3,181
Other
$8,919
$16,539
B
Minneapolis, MN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
F
Duluth, MN
Fiscal Health Score: 30/100
Critical fiscal distress

Compare More Cities

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