St. Paul, MN vs Duluth, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Duluth, MN spends 45% more per resident than St. Paul, MN: $32,786 against $22,552. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
St. Paul, MN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 55/100 (grade C) against 30/100 (grade F) for Duluth, MN — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Duluth, MN carries the lighter load at $1,961 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 Duluth, MN at $4,217.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in St. Paul, MN at 18% of total revenue, whereas Duluth, MN relies most on other revenue at 32%.
Summary
Duluth spends 31.2% more per capita than St. Paul ($10,234/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 | $1,363 |
| Sales Tax | $1,463 | $2,261 |
| Income Tax | $27 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,526 | $1,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,727 | $2,388 |
| Other | $4,806 | $4,697 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $503 | $465 |
| Public Welfare | $1,730 | $1,859 |
| Health | $663 | $530 |
| Hospitals | $3,391 | $1,029 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,137 | $4,217 |
| Housing | $4,835 | $3,654 |
| Sewerage | $367 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,294 | $1,313 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3,181 |
| Other | $6,632 | $16,539 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.