Syracuse, NY vs Schenectady, 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: Syracuse, NY leads with education at $35,942 per resident, while Schenectady, NY leads with police at $2,839.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Syracuse, NY and 100% in Schenectady, NY.
Summary
Syracuse spends 25.6% 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 | $383 | $64 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,392 | $12,933 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,755 | $0 |
| Other | $873 | $4,840 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $2,839 |
| Fire Protection | $282 | $406 |
| Highways & Roads | $288 | $440 |
| Education | $35,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $614 | $1,436 |
| Health | $0 | $899 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $34 |
| Parks & Recreation | $600 | $122 |
| Housing | $3,659 | $778 |
| Sewerage | $317 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,703 | $9,610 |
| Interest on Debt | $16 | $47 |
| Other | $12,408 | $27,849 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.