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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Camden, NJ

Population: 71,799 (2022) · Small Cities (50K-100K)

D
44/100

Below average, significant fiscal challenges in multiple areas

Total Spending
$4.0B
Per Capita
$55,742
Total Revenue
$735.2M
Total Debt
$0

Spending Breakdown

Other
49.7%$2.0B
Education
16.9%$675.4M
Police
10.4%$416.2M
Housing & Community Development
8.4%$337.4M
Utilities
7.5%$301.4M
Health
2.4%$95.4M
Public Welfare
1.8%$72.6M
Fire Protection
1.5%$60.3M
Parks & Recreation
1.0%$40.9M
Highways & Roads
0.3%$11.1M
General Administration
0.1%$2.3M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
0.7%$5.0M
Sales Tax
0.9%$6.5M
Income Tax
10.2%$74.7M
Intergovernmental
98.4%$723.4M
Other
20.8%$153.0M

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police$5,797/person
Fire Protection$840/person
Highways & Roads$155/person
Parks & Recreation$570/person
Education$9,407/person
Health$1,329/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)14/100
Debt Burden (20%)100/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)0/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)0/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Compare Cities

See how Camden stacks up against another city.

vs Newark, NJvs Jersey City, NJvs Paterson, NJ
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in New Jersey

Newark, NJ

Pop. 307K

C
Total Spending
$6.2B
Per Capita
$20,014

Jersey City, NJ

Pop. 288K

B
Total Spending
$6.1B
Per Capita
$21,136

Paterson, NJ

Pop. 158K

C
Total Spending
$2.5B
Per Capita
$16,110

Elizabeth, NJ

Pop. 136K

C
Total Spending
$2.9B
Per Capita
$21,067

Compare Camden With

Newark, NJ

Spending: $20,014/person · Grade: C

Jersey City, NJ

Spending: $21,136/person · Grade: B

Paterson, NJ

Spending: $16,110/person · Grade: C

Elizabeth, NJ

Spending: $21,067/person · Grade: C

Frequently Asked Questions

Camden, NJ spends $55,742 per resident, based on total expenditures of $4.0B for a population of 71,799. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of D (44/100).

Camden, NJ has total expenditures of $4.0B and total revenue of $735.2M. The city carries $0 in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

Camden, NJ employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

Camden, NJ has a Fiscal Health Score of D (44/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

Last updated:

For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.

The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.

For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. cities, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.