Mount Vernon, NY vs Rochester, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Rochester, NY outspends Mount Vernon, NY by a wide margin per resident — $75,154 versus $18,214, a 313% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mount Vernon, NY edges Rochester, NY on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 53/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Rochester, 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 Rochester, NY leads with education at $42,739.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Mount Vernon, NY and 54% in Rochester, NY.
Summary
Rochester spends 75.8% more per capita than Mount Vernon ($56,940/person difference). Mount Vernon, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $356 | $511 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,427 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,881 | $3,814 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,441 | $1,993 |
| Other | $532 | $825 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $46 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $383 | $293 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $379 |
| Education | $0 | $42,739 |
| Public Welfare | $335 | $140 |
| Health | $0 | $753 |
| Hospitals | $386 | $764 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $910 |
| Housing | $3,774 | $5,169 |
| Sewerage | $151 | $547 |
| Utilities | $2,448 | $5,082 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $215 |
| Other | $9,214 | $18,162 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.