Minneapolis, MN vs Houston, TX
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 Minneapolis, MN at $3,486 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 17% of total revenue in Minneapolis, MN and 7% in Houston, TX.
Summary
Minneapolis spends 52.2% 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 | $1,989 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $994 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,929 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,040 | $3,475 |
| Other | $3,254 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $683 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,486 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,133 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $570 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,398 | $1,339 |
| Other | $8,919 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.