State comparison
Delaware vs Minnesota: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $3,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 95).
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Minnesota
Delaware has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.6%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,906 a year. Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 a year. Delaware wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 1.02% in Minnesota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $3,417, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.42% in Minnesota.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $9,666 in Minnesota. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Minnesota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $335K in Minnesota (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,450 in Minnesota.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,700 in Minnesota, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 286 in Minnesota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Minnesota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 56% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 2,094 in Minnesota, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 79.4 in Minnesota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.8-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Minnesota's 2nd, so Minnesota scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 4.5% in Minnesota, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware's K-12 schools 24th in the country and Minnesota's 8th, 16 places apart in Minnesota's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Delaware went to Harris by 8 points and Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and Minnesota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $13.25 an hour in Delaware and $10.85 in Minnesota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 32 in Minnesota (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Delaware
9
Minnesota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Minnesota better to live in?
Minnesota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $9,666); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 102); Minnesota on safety (286 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Minnesota?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $335K in Minnesota (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $3,800 a year.
Does Delaware or Minnesota have lower taxes?
Delaware. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,831 a year in Delaware ($3,906 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax) and $9,666 in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Minnesota?
Minnesota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 286 in Minnesota; property crime is 1,827 against 2,094.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Minnesota?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Minnesota 8th.
Is Delaware or Minnesota better for retirees?
Delaware is friendlier to retirees on paper. Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $3,417 in Minnesota.