St. Paul, MN vs Bloomington, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Paul, MN and Bloomington, MN spend within 5.7% of each other per resident — $22,552 versus $21,342 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
St. Paul, MN edges Bloomington, MN on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 55/100 (grade C) to 48/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Bloomington, MN carries the lighter load at $355 per resident versus $2,026 for St. Paul, MN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in St. Paul, MN at $2,137 per resident and in Bloomington, MN at $1,297.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in St. Paul, MN at 18% of total revenue, whereas Bloomington, MN relies most on charges and fees at 40%.
Summary
St. Paul spends 5.7% more per capita than Bloomington ($1,210/person difference). St. Paul, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $130 | $956 |
| Sales Tax | $1,463 | $568 |
| Income Tax | $27 | $1,025 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,526 | $3,294 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,727 | $4,186 |
| Other | $4,806 | $774 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $503 | $282 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $1,730 | $2,499 |
| Health | $663 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $3,391 | $1,423 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,137 | $1,297 |
| Housing | $4,835 | $3,707 |
| Sewerage | $367 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,294 | $4,291 |
| Other | $6,632 | $7,817 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.