The annual budget of New York City 100 years ago was $163 million. For the first time, the city revealed just where that money goes, in a public exhibition about the 1910 budget.

“The purpose of the exhibit will be to acquaint taxpayers and interested citizens with every item of expense, and disseminate information regarding the management of the city’s business affairs. It will be a revelation to know that the City of New York performs a broader variety of work than any other city in the world, and that the benefits it distributes are many times more numerous than the ordinary citizen supposes.”

For comparison, you can find the city’s current budget online at the Office of Management and Budget.

HOW NEW YORK CITY SPENDS ITS MONEY EVERY YEAR: For the First Time the Public Is Informed by a Novel Budget Exhibit Just Where Its Millions Go. (PDF)

From October 2, 1910