Buffalo, NY vs Schenectady, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Buffalo, NY spends 36% more per resident than Schenectady, NY: $60,354 against $44,459. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Buffalo, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Schenectady, NY — a 10-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: Buffalo, NY leads with education at $39,263 per resident, while Schenectady, NY leads with police at $2,839.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Buffalo, NY at 22% of total revenue, whereas Schenectady, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Buffalo spends 35.8% more per capita than Schenectady ($15,895/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 | $64 |
| Income Tax | $898 | $26 |
| Intergovernmental | $840 | $12,933 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,679 | $0 |
| Other | $2,952 | $4,840 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,839 |
| Fire Protection | $306 | $406 |
| Highways & Roads | $432 | $440 |
| Education | $39,263 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,112 | $1,436 |
| Health | $0 | $899 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $34 |
| Parks & Recreation | $410 | $122 |
| Housing | $3,491 | $778 |
| Sewerage | $189 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,425 | $9,610 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $47 |
| Other | $11,726 | $27,849 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.