Mount Vernon, NY vs Buffalo, 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: Mount Vernon, NY leads with parks and recreation at $950 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 Mount Vernon, NY at 100% of total revenue, whereas Buffalo, NY relies most on other revenue at 22%.
Summary
Buffalo spends 69.8% 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 | $356 | $252 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $898 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,881 | $840 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,441 | $1,679 |
| Other | $532 | $2,952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $46 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $383 | $306 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $432 |
| Education | $0 | $39,263 |
| Public Welfare | $335 | $1,112 |
| Hospitals | $386 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $410 |
| Housing | $3,774 | $3,491 |
| Sewerage | $151 | $189 |
| Utilities | $2,448 | $3,425 |
| Other | $9,214 | $11,726 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.