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Minnesota may be known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but we're also the state that's home to two of the 150 Best-Run Cities in the Country.

There are a LOT of cities throughout the United States these days, right? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 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.

So to have two of the 150 Best-Run Cities in the Country right here in Minnesota is a pretty decent accomplishment. That's the word, anyway, from a WalletHub survey that 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 149 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.

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So which two cities in Minnesota are two of the Best-Run in the Country? That would be Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Minneapolis, Minnesota (Thinkstock)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (Thinkstock)
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Minneapolis was ranked 96th on the Best Run City list and also had a ranking of 49 for City Services and a ranking of 110 for Total Budget per Capita.

Saint Paul, Minnesota (Thinkstock)
Saint Paul, Minnesota (Thinkstock)
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Saint Paul, meanwhile, while also being Minnesota's capital city, came in ranked 91st on the Best Run Cities List, while ranking 77th in City Service and 98th 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

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