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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Albany, NY vs Buffalo, NY

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Buffalo spends 22.8% more per capita than Albany ($13,759/person difference). Albany, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Albany, NY
Pop. 99,692
C
63/100
Budget Balance50
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Buffalo, NY
Pop. 276,688
C
57/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Albany
Buffalo
Total Spending
$4.6B
$16.7B
Spending / Capita
$46,595
$60,354
Total Revenue
$2.9B
$3.8B
Revenue / Capita
$29,490
$13,649
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
99,692
276,688
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Albany$3,815
Buffalo$0
Fire Protection
Albany$558
Buffalo$306
Highways & Roads
Albany$391
Buffalo$432
Parks & Recreation
Albany$663
Buffalo$410
Education
Albany$0
Buffalo$39,263
Health
Albany$91
Buffalo$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AlbanyBuffalo
Sales Tax
$1,242
$252
Income Tax
$0
$898
Intergovernmental
$3,947
$840
Charges & Fees
$0
$1,679
Other
$6,604
$2,952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AlbanyBuffalo
Police
$3,815
$0
Fire Protection
$558
$306
Highways & Roads
$391
$432
Education
$0
$39,263
Public Welfare
$1,363
$1,112
Health
$91
$0
Parks & Recreation
$663
$410
Housing
$2,042
$3,491
Sewerage
$0
$189
Utilities
$13,046
$3,425
Interest on Debt
$88
$0
Other
$24,538
$11,726
C
Albany, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Buffalo, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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