Buffalo, NY vs Mount Vernon, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Buffalo, NY outspends Mount Vernon, NY by a wide margin per resident — $60,354 versus $18,214, a 231% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Buffalo, NY edges Mount Vernon, NY on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Buffalo, NY reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mount Vernon, NY carries $18 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Buffalo, NY leads with education at $39,263 per resident, while Mount Vernon, NY leads with parks and recreation at $950.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Buffalo, NY at 22% of total revenue, whereas Mount Vernon, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Buffalo spends 231.4% more per capita than Mount Vernon ($42,140/person difference). Buffalo, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $252 | $356 |
| Income Tax | $898 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $840 | $1,881 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,679 | $1,441 |
| Other | $2,952 | $532 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $46 |
| Fire Protection | $306 | $383 |
| Highways & Roads | $432 | $527 |
| Education | $39,263 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,112 | $335 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $386 |
| Parks & Recreation | $410 | $950 |
| Housing | $3,491 | $3,774 |
| Sewerage | $189 | $151 |
| Utilities | $3,425 | $2,448 |
| Other | $11,726 | $9,214 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.