Rochester, NY vs Buffalo, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Rochester spends 24.5% more per capita than Buffalo ($14,800/person difference). Buffalo, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
47/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity21
Trend Direction50
C
57/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Rochester
Buffalo
Total Spending
$15.9B
$16.7B
Spending / Capita
$75,154
$60,354
Total Revenue
$1.5B
$3.8B
Revenue / Capita
$7,104
$13,649
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
210,992
276,688
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Rochester$293
Buffalo$306
Highways & Roads
Rochester$379
Buffalo$432
Parks & Recreation
Rochester$910
Buffalo$410
Education
Rochester$42,739
Buffalo$39,263
Health
Rochester$753
Buffalo$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
RochesterBuffalo
| Sales Tax | $511 | $252 |
| Income Tax | $1,427 | $898 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,814 | $840 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,993 | $1,679 |
| Other | $825 | $2,952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
RochesterBuffalo
| Fire Protection | $293 | $306 |
| Highways & Roads | $379 | $432 |
| Education | $42,739 | $39,263 |
| Public Welfare | $140 | $1,112 |
| Health | $753 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $764 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $910 | $410 |
| Housing | $5,169 | $3,491 |
| Sewerage | $547 | $189 |
| Utilities | $5,082 | $3,425 |
| Interest on Debt | $215 | $0 |
| Other | $18,162 | $11,726 |
D
Rochester, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Buffalo, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health