Schenectady, NY vs Syracuse, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Syracuse, NY spends 26% more per resident than Schenectady, NY: $55,830 against $44,459. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Syracuse, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Schenectady, NY — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Syracuse, NY leads with education at $35,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Schenectady, NY and 17% in Syracuse, NY.
Summary
Syracuse spends 20.4% more per capita than Schenectady ($11,371/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 | $64 | $383 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,933 | $2,392 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,755 |
| Other | $4,840 | $873 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,839 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $406 | $282 |
| Highways & Roads | $440 | $288 |
| Education | $0 | $35,942 |
| Public Welfare | $1,436 | $614 |
| Health | $899 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $34 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $600 |
| Housing | $778 | $3,659 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $317 |
| Utilities | $9,610 | $1,703 |
| Interest on Debt | $47 | $16 |
| Other | $27,849 | $12,408 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.