Mount Vernon, NY vs Syracuse, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Syracuse, NY outspends Mount Vernon, NY by a wide margin per resident — $55,830 versus $18,214, a 207% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Syracuse, 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.
Syracuse, 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 Syracuse, NY leads with education at $35,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Mount Vernon, NY and 17% in Syracuse, NY.
Summary
Syracuse spends 67.4% more per capita than Mount Vernon ($37,616/person difference). Syracuse, 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 | $383 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,881 | $2,392 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,441 | $1,755 |
| Other | $532 | $873 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $46 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $383 | $282 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $288 |
| Education | $0 | $35,942 |
| Public Welfare | $335 | $614 |
| Hospitals | $386 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $600 |
| Housing | $3,774 | $3,659 |
| Sewerage | $151 | $317 |
| Utilities | $2,448 | $1,703 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $16 |
| Other | $9,214 | $12,408 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.