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Town Hall · Buffalo

Buffalo spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar big cities

Buffalo’s city government spent $1.8 billion on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $6,636 per resident. Water and other utilities ($32.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

General

4:00 pm · 65 Niagara Square, Room 912 City Hall

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$1.8B
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$6,636
In 2022: $5,895, more than 68% of 28 similar big cities
Long-term debt
$542.8M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
8,658
full-time · 1,556 part-time · March payroll $73.1M
Typical tax bill
$1,622
0.99% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Buffalo is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar big citiesIn 2022: $5,895 per resident, more than 68% of 28 similar big cities.Runs its own schoolsThe schools are part of the city budget, not a separate district.Split between districts5 Assembly districts cover Buffalo; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Buffalo’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $6,636 per resident a year, or $18.18 a day

Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 62% of day-to-day spending.

Where the money comes from
From the state 67%From other local governments 7%Fees & charges 7%From the federal government 6%Property taxes 5%Interest, fines & other 4%Utility sales 3%Sales taxes 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Schools included

Buffalo runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with U.S. cities of 100,000+ that run their own schools.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $140.2 million; interest on debt $33.2 million; payments to other governments $3.5 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $2 billion.
Compared with similar places

$5,895 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them

Buffalo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,895 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 28 U.S. cities of 100,000+ that run their own schools: the median was $5,222, and the middle half spent $4,328–$5,940. Buffalo spent more than 68% of them.

Middle half of the group, $4,328–$5,940Median $5,222Buffalo

Includes sewer and trash ($108.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
28

U.S. cities of 100,000+ that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Buffalo itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Buffalo reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$1.5 billion
2023$1.7 billion
2024$1.8 billion

Per resident: 2022: $5,895 · 2023: $6,082 · 2024: $6,636. Per resident it went from $5,895 to $6,636 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 254,479 to 276,486.

City staff
8,658

full-time in March 2025, up from 8,353 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,622 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.99% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New York$6,582
Amherst$5,935
West Seneca$5,199
Cheektowaga$4,578
Eggertsville$4,540
Sloan$4,513
Tonawanda$4,461
Tonawanda Town$4,380
Lackawanna$3,745
Buffalo$1,622
$1,622
typical bill a year
0.99%
effective rate
$164,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Buffalo’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Buffalo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Buffalo →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Buffalo

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See buffalony.gov for Buffalo’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Buffalo yet.buffalony.gov ↗
Who works for Buffalo

One full-time city employee for every 32 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (276,486).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Schools5,553 + 1,359 pt
Police954 + 118 pt
Fire730
Sewer & trash380 + 3 pt
Administration & buildings278 + 39 pt
Housing & development163 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities137
Roads & transportation73 + 10 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections66
Parks & libraries57 + 6 pt
Health & welfare46 + 1 pt
Other221 + 19 pt
8,658
full-time
1,556
part-time
$73.1M
payroll for March 2025
$877.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$95,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
765
sworn police officers
690
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Buffalo’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Buffalo City School District

Buffalo’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Buffalo, so this money is part of the budget above.

Schools in Buffalo →
$31,111
per pupil · NY $34,607
29,866
students
$345.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $31,111 per pupil, $18,089 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 12%State 73%Federal 15%

New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Buffalo’s votes are counted by county

New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Erie County’s results.

President · Erie County’s results459,962 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat54.1%248,651 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican44.5%204,774 votes

Others: 1.4% (6,537 votes).

Most votes in Erie County: Kamala D Harris

New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

The county’s page

100% of Buffalo lies in Erie County. Every 2024 race in Erie County is on the county’s page.

Erie County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Buffalo

From town hall to Washington

Buffalo sends 5 members to the State Assembly alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: buffalony.gov ↗
  2. 2
    New York AssemblyBuffalo is split between 5 districts
    Crystal Peoples-StokesJon RiveraPat BurkeBill ConradPat Chludzinski
  3. 3
    New York SenateState senator
    April BaskinJeremy Zellner
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kathy Hochul
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Timothy M. Kennedy
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
    Charles E. SchumerKirsten E. Gillibrand
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Buffalo compares with the towns next door

Buffalo spent $5,895 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.

Cheektowaga: $937 per resident (2022)Eggertsville: unincorporated, no town budgetWest Seneca: $1,089 per resident (2022)Amherst: $1,257 per resident (2022)Lackawanna: $1,489 per resident (2022)Tonawanda: $1,372 per resident (2022)Tonawanda Town: unincorporated, no town budgetSloan: $415 per resident (2022)CheektowagaEggertsvilleWest SenecaAmherstLackawannaTonawandaTonawanda TownSloanBuffalo
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Sloan$415$4,513
Cheektowaga$937$4,578
West Seneca$1,089$5,199
Amherst$1,257$5,935
Tonawanda$1,372$4,461
Lackawanna$1,489$3,745
Buffalo$5,895$1,622

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Buffalo’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitebuffalony.gov ↗

Questions about Buffalo’s government

How much does Buffalo spend per resident?

About $6,636 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $5,895 was more than 68% of 28 U.S. cities of 100,000+ that run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,622 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.99% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see buffalony.gov.

Who runs Buffalo’s government?

See buffalony.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Buffalo yet.

How did Buffalo vote in 2024?

New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Buffalo alone. Erie County, where 100% of Buffalo lies, voted Harris 54.1%, Trump 44.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Buffalo?

8,658 full-time and 1,556 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $73.1M (about $877.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Buffalo in the state legislature?

Buffalo is split among 5 Assembly districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The New York Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Buffalo?

The next posted meeting is General on Monday, November 2, at 4:00 pm in 65 Niagara Square, Room 912 City Hall, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Buffalo’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →