Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Yonkers, NY vs Syracuse, NY

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Yonkers, NY and Syracuse, NY spend within 12.7% of each other per resident — $62,907 versus $55,830 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Yonkers, NY edges Syracuse, 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 Syracuse, NY at $35,942.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Yonkers, NY and 17% in Syracuse, NY.

Summary

Yonkers spends 12.7% more per capita than Syracuse ($7,077/person difference). Yonkers, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Yonkers, NY
Pop. 209,780
C
63/100
Budget Balance50
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Syracuse, NY
Pop. 146,134
C
57/100
Budget Balance26
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Yonkers
Syracuse
Total Spending
$13.2B
$8.2B
Spending / Capita
$62,907
$55,830
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$2.0B
Revenue / Capita
$28,419
$13,918
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
209,780
146,134
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Yonkers$436
Syracuse$282
Highways & Roads
Yonkers$393
Syracuse$288
Parks & Recreation
Yonkers$622
Syracuse$600
Education
Yonkers$34,460
Syracuse$35,942
Health
Yonkers$506
Syracuse$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

YonkersSyracuse
Sales Tax
$129
$383
Intergovernmental
$4,254
$2,392
Charges & Fees
$1,866
$1,755
Other
$1,197
$873

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

YonkersSyracuse
Fire Protection
$436
$282
Highways & Roads
$393
$288
Education
$34,460
$35,942
Public Welfare
$258
$614
Health
$506
$0
Parks & Recreation
$622
$600
Housing
$5,533
$3,659
Sewerage
$243
$317
Utilities
$2,825
$1,703
Interest on Debt
$0
$16
Other
$17,631
$12,408
C
Yonkers, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Syracuse, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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