Albany, NY vs Rochester, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Rochester, NY outspends Albany, NY by a wide margin per resident — $75,154 versus $46,595, a 61% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Albany, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Rochester, NY — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Rochester, NY leads with education at $42,739.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Albany, NY at 22% of total revenue, whereas Rochester, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 54%.
Summary
Rochester spends 38.0% more per capita than Albany ($28,559/person difference). Albany, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,242 | $511 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,427 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,947 | $3,814 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,993 |
| Other | $6,604 | $825 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,815 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $558 | $293 |
| Highways & Roads | $391 | $379 |
| Education | $0 | $42,739 |
| Public Welfare | $1,363 | $140 |
| Health | $91 | $753 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $764 |
| Parks & Recreation | $663 | $910 |
| Housing | $2,042 | $5,169 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $547 |
| Utilities | $13,046 | $5,082 |
| Interest on Debt | $88 | $215 |
| Other | $24,538 | $18,162 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.