Yonkers, NY vs Buffalo, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Yonkers, NY and Buffalo, NY spend within 4.2% of each other per resident — $62,907 versus $60,354 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Yonkers, NY edges Buffalo, NY on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Yonkers, NY at $34,460 per resident and in Buffalo, NY at $39,263.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Yonkers, NY at 15% of total revenue, whereas Buffalo, NY relies most on other revenue at 22%.
Summary
Yonkers spends 4.2% more per capita than Buffalo ($2,553/person difference). Yonkers, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $129 | $252 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $898 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,254 | $840 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,866 | $1,679 |
| Other | $1,197 | $2,952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $436 | $306 |
| Highways & Roads | $393 | $432 |
| Education | $34,460 | $39,263 |
| Public Welfare | $258 | $1,112 |
| Health | $506 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $622 | $410 |
| Housing | $5,533 | $3,491 |
| Sewerage | $243 | $189 |
| Utilities | $2,825 | $3,425 |
| Other | $17,631 | $11,726 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.