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

Cheektowaga, NY vs Buffalo, NY

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Buffalo, NY outspends Cheektowaga, NY by a wide margin per resident — $60,354 versus $10,250, a 489% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Cheektowaga, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Buffalo, NY — a 11-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: Cheektowaga, NY leads with parks and recreation at $577 per resident, while Buffalo, NY leads with education at $39,263.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Cheektowaga, NY at 100% of total revenue, whereas Buffalo, NY relies most on other revenue at 22%.

Summary

Buffalo spends 83.0% more per capita than Cheektowaga ($50,104/person difference). Cheektowaga, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cheektowaga, NY
Pop. 76,483
B
68/100
Budget Balance50
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
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
Cheektowaga
Buffalo
Total Spending
$784.0M
$16.7B
Spending / Capita
$10,250
$60,354
Total Revenue
$513.2M
$3.8B
Revenue / Capita
$6,709
$13,649
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
76,483
276,688
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cheektowaga$77
Buffalo$306
Highways & Roads
Cheektowaga$155
Buffalo$432
Parks & Recreation
Cheektowaga$577
Buffalo$410
Education
Cheektowaga$0
Buffalo$39,263
Health
Cheektowaga$168
Buffalo$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CheektowagaBuffalo
Sales Tax
$113
$252
Income Tax
$13
$898
Intergovernmental
$6,709
$840
Charges & Fees
$0
$1,679
Other
$151
$2,952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CheektowagaBuffalo
Fire Protection
$77
$306
Highways & Roads
$155
$432
Education
$0
$39,263
Public Welfare
$1,620
$1,112
Health
$168
$0
Parks & Recreation
$577
$410
Housing
$2,169
$3,491
Sewerage
$174
$189
Utilities
$827
$3,425
Other
$4,483
$11,726
B
Cheektowaga, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
C
Buffalo, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.