Albany, NY vs Cheektowaga, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Albany, NY outspends Cheektowaga, NY by a wide margin per resident — $46,595 versus $10,250, a 355% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Cheektowaga, NY edges Albany, NY on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 68/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Albany, NY leads with police at $3,815 per resident, while Cheektowaga, NY leads with parks and recreation at $577.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Albany, NY at 22% of total revenue, whereas Cheektowaga, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Albany spends 354.6% more per capita than Cheektowaga ($36,345/person difference). Cheektowaga, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,242 | $113 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $13 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,947 | $6,709 |
| Other | $6,604 | $151 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,815 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $558 | $77 |
| Highways & Roads | $391 | $155 |
| Public Welfare | $1,363 | $1,620 |
| Health | $91 | $168 |
| Parks & Recreation | $663 | $577 |
| Housing | $2,042 | $2,169 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $174 |
| Utilities | $13,046 | $827 |
| Interest on Debt | $88 | $0 |
| Other | $24,538 | $4,483 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.