Minneapolis And St. Paul Shine in 2026 Best-Run Cities Ranking

For a state that's weathered its share of bad press over the past year, Minnesota just received a surprising vote of confidence. A new national study says two of the country's best-run cities are right here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But which ones made the cut, and how did they earn the honor?

The past year has put Minnesota in the national spotlight for a variety of reasons, with few of them casting our state in a positive light. From those continuing fraud investigations and convictions, to the assassination of one of our state legislative leaders, to being the home of ICE's Operation Metro Surge, it was a tough year for the North Star State.

However, a new 2026 WalletHub survey suggests that, despite this, Minnesota is still home to two of the 150 Best-Run Cities in America. Which is saying something, right?

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Why WalletHub Says These Are America's Best-Run Cities

I mean, the U.S. is home to a LOT of cities these days. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau, says a 'city' is defined as an area having a population of 2,500 people. And according to the 2020 Census, about 80 percent of the country lives in a city or other urban area, with there being 19,495 incorporated cities, towns, and villages in the United States.

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So to have two of the 150 Best-Run Cities in the Country right here in Minnesota is a pretty decent accomplishment. But how are they measuring these Best-Run Cities? WalletHub says its survey looked at the 'operating efficiency' of various cities throughout the country. According to WalletHub:

Operating efficiency is defined as the degree to which city officials manage and spend public funds compared to the quality of services residents receive against the city’s total budget.

The number-crunchers over at WalletHub compared the operating efficiency of 150 of the largest U.S. cities to reveal which among them are managed best, looking at 36 different categories of 'quality of services' grouped into six service categories, which they then measured against the city’s per-capita budget.

How Minneapolis and Saint Paul Ranked in 2026

So which two cities in Minnesota are two of the Best-Run in the Country? Why, that would be Minnesota's two largest cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Photo by <a href= — Photo by Tom Conway on Unsplash

How Minnesota's Largest Cities Performed

Minneapolis was ranked 77th on the Best Run City list and also had a ranking of 40 for City Services and a ranking of 96 for Total Budget per Capita.

Saint Paul, meanwhile, while also being Minnesota's capital city, came in ranked 87th on the 2026 Best-Run Cities List, while ranking 39th in City Service and 106th for Total Budget per Capita.

You can check out the entire Best Run Cities in the U.S. below. And keep scrolling to check out the 25 Least Expensive States to Live In, too.
Source: WalletHub