Schenectady, NY vs Rochester, 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: Schenectady, NY and Rochester, 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: Schenectady, NY leads with police at $2,839 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 Schenectady, NY and 54% in Rochester, NY.
Summary
Rochester spends 40.8% 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 | $64 | $511 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $1,427 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,933 | $3,814 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,993 |
| Other | $4,840 | $825 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,839 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $406 | $293 |
| Highways & Roads | $440 | $379 |
| Education | $0 | $42,739 |
| Public Welfare | $1,436 | $140 |
| Health | $899 | $753 |
| Hospitals | $34 | $764 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $910 |
| Housing | $778 | $5,169 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $547 |
| Utilities | $9,610 | $5,082 |
| Interest on Debt | $47 | $215 |
| Other | $27,849 | $18,162 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.