Rochester, NY vs Schenectady, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Rochester, NY outspends Schenectady, NY by a wide margin per resident — $75,154 versus $44,459, a 69% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Rochester, NY and Schenectady, NY both land at 47/100 (grade D and D respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
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: Rochester, NY leads with education at $42,739 per resident, while Schenectady, NY leads with police at $2,839.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 54% of total revenue in Rochester, NY and 100% in Schenectady, NY.
Summary
Rochester spends 69.0% more per capita than Schenectady ($30,695/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $511 | $64 |
| Income Tax | $1,427 | $26 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,814 | $12,933 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,993 | $0 |
| Other | $825 | $4,840 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,839 |
| Fire Protection | $293 | $406 |
| Highways & Roads | $379 | $440 |
| Education | $42,739 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $140 | $1,436 |
| Health | $753 | $899 |
| Hospitals | $764 | $34 |
| Parks & Recreation | $910 | $122 |
| Housing | $5,169 | $778 |
| Sewerage | $547 | $0 |
| Utilities | $5,082 | $9,610 |
| Interest on Debt | $215 | $47 |
| Other | $18,162 | $27,849 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.