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

Oakland, CA vs Minneapolis, MN

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Oakland, CA spends 37% more per resident than Minneapolis, MN: $30,055 against $21,910. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Oakland, CA edges Minneapolis, MN on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 72/100 (grade B) to 65/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Minneapolis, MN carries $644 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Minneapolis, MN leads with parks and recreation at $3,486.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Minneapolis, MN relies most on other revenue at 17%.

Summary

Oakland spends 37.2% more per capita than Minneapolis ($8,145/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Oakland, CA
Pop. 437,825
B
72/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency43
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Minneapolis, MN
Pop. 426,877
B
65/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden91
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Oakland
Minneapolis
Total Spending
$13.2B
$9.4B
Spending / Capita
$30,055
$21,910
Total Revenue
$18.5B
$8.2B
Revenue / Capita
$42,277
$19,159
Total Debt
$0
$274.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$644
Population
437,825
426,877
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Oakland$1
Minneapolis$683
Highways & Roads
Oakland$0
Minneapolis$221
Parks & Recreation
Oakland$955
Minneapolis$3,486
Health
Oakland$1,016
Minneapolis$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

OaklandMinneapolis
Sales Tax
$522
$1,989
Income Tax
$0
$994
Intergovernmental
$42,277
$2,929
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,040
Other
$4,337
$3,254

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

OaklandMinneapolis
Fire Protection
$1
$683
Highways & Roads
$0
$221
Public Welfare
$2,426
$1,500
Health
$1,016
$0
Hospitals
$2,498
$0
Parks & Recreation
$955
$3,486
Housing
$7,811
$4,133
Sewerage
$1,417
$570
Utilities
$0
$2,398
Other
$13,929
$8,919
B
Oakland, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 72/100
Good fiscal health
B
Minneapolis, MN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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