St. Paul, MN vs Woodbury, MN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
St. Paul, MN outspends Woodbury, MN by a wide margin per resident — $22,552 versus $8,705, a 159% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Woodbury, MN edges St. Paul, MN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Woodbury, MN carries the lighter load at $1,106 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 Woodbury, MN at $1,659.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in St. Paul, MN at 18% of total revenue, whereas Woodbury, MN relies most on other revenue at 32%.
Summary
St. Paul spends 159.1% more per capita than Woodbury ($13,847/person difference). Woodbury, MN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $130 | $414 |
| Sales Tax | $1,463 | $1,053 |
| Income Tax | $27 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,526 | $10 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,727 | $1,071 |
| Other | $4,806 | $2,165 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $503 | $367 |
| Public Welfare | $1,730 | $1,759 |
| Health | $663 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $3,391 | $63 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,137 | $1,659 |
| Housing | $4,835 | $2,022 |
| Sewerage | $367 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,294 | $1,225 |
| Other | $6,632 | $1,610 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.