Minneapolis, MN vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Seattle, WA spends 57% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $34,463 against $21,910. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Minneapolis, MN edges Seattle, WA 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 $1,100 for Seattle, WA. 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 Seattle, WA at $3,923.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Minneapolis, MN at 17% of total revenue, whereas Seattle, WA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.
Summary
Seattle spends 36.4% more per capita than Minneapolis ($12,553/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 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $1,989 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $994 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,929 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,040 | $3,960 |
| Other | $3,254 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $683 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $1,500 | $3,439 |
| Health | $0 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,486 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $4,133 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $570 | $952 |
| Utilities | $2,398 | $6,489 |
| Other | $8,919 | $11,260 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.