Budgetary Blizzard: In the Winter of 2015, NYC Spent $2.5 Million per Inch to Clear Snow & Ice

Average cost from FY 2003 – FY 2015 was $1.9 million per inch

(New York, NY) – In Fiscal Year 2015, it cost New York City $2.5 million per inch to clear 47.5 inches of snow and ice, the third highest per-inch cost over the last 13 years, according to a new data analysis released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. The FY 2015 data builds on a report released by Comptroller Stringer in January 2015: “The Slippery Cost Slope of Ice and Snow Removal in New York City.”

“Removing snow can be a budgetary blizzard with costs that can reach into the millions on a per inch basis,” Comptroller Stringer said. “Last year the cost per inch to plow snow and ice was higher than average, but a lot goes into making sure our streets are clear – from salt stockpiles to personnel costs to the number of inches of snow that falls.”

From FY 2003 to FY 2015: 

·        The average cost per-inch to remove snow and ice was $1.9 million.

·        The annual cost for ice and snow removal ranged from a low of $25.4 million in FY 2008 to a high of $130.7 million in FY 2014, with a 13-year average annual cost of $60 million. However, from FY 2013 to FY 2015, the average cost increased to $95.5 million.