Jersey City, NJ vs Passaic, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Passaic, NJ outspends Jersey City, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $70,270 versus $21,136, a 232% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Jersey City, NJ edges Passaic, NJ on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jersey City, NJ leads with health at $634 per resident, while Passaic, NJ leads with education at $19,480.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jersey City, NJ at 27% of total revenue, whereas Passaic, NJ relies most on other revenue at 3%.
Summary
Passaic spends 69.9% more per capita than Jersey City ($49,135/person difference). Jersey City, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $182 |
| Sales Tax | $420 | $479 |
| Income Tax | $603 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,168 | $710 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,474 | $0 |
| Other | $3,297 | $1,358 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $8,511 |
| Fire Protection | $275 | $752 |
| Highways & Roads | $173 | $1,498 |
| Education | $0 | $19,480 |
| Public Welfare | $953 | $871 |
| Health | $634 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $3,827 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $248 | $975 |
| Housing | $4,412 | $5,476 |
| Sewerage | $155 | $78 |
| Utilities | $3,426 | $8,628 |
| General Admin | $0 | $353 |
| Other | $7,033 | $23,649 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.