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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Syracuse, NY vs Mount Vernon, NY

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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: Syracuse, NY leads with education at $35,942 per resident, while Mount Vernon, NY leads with parks and recreation at $950.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Syracuse, NY and 100% in Mount Vernon, NY.

Summary

Syracuse spends 206.5% more per capita than Mount Vernon ($37,616/person difference). Syracuse, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Syracuse, NY
Pop. 146,134
C
57/100
Budget Balance26
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Mount Vernon, NY
Pop. 72,817
C
53/100
Budget Balance12
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Syracuse
Mount Vernon
Total Spending
$8.2B
$1.3B
Spending / Capita
$55,830
$18,214
Total Revenue
$2.0B
$137.0M
Revenue / Capita
$13,918
$1,881
Total Debt
$0
$1.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$18
Population
146,134
72,817
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Syracuse$0
Mount Vernon$46
Fire Protection
Syracuse$282
Mount Vernon$383
Highways & Roads
Syracuse$288
Mount Vernon$527
Parks & Recreation
Syracuse$600
Mount Vernon$950
Education
Syracuse$35,942
Mount Vernon$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SyracuseMount Vernon
Sales Tax
$383
$356
Intergovernmental
$2,392
$1,881
Charges & Fees
$1,755
$1,441
Other
$873
$532

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SyracuseMount Vernon
Police
$0
$46
Fire Protection
$282
$383
Highways & Roads
$288
$527
Education
$35,942
$0
Public Welfare
$614
$335
Hospitals
$0
$386
Parks & Recreation
$600
$950
Housing
$3,659
$3,774
Sewerage
$317
$151
Utilities
$1,703
$2,448
Interest on Debt
$16
$0
Other
$12,408
$9,214
C
Syracuse, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Mount Vernon, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.