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

Jersey City, NJ vs Paterson, NJ

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Jersey City spends 31.2% more per capita than Paterson ($5,026/person difference). Jersey City, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Jersey City, NJ
Pop. 287,899
B
70/100
Budget Balance31
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency83
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
City B
Paterson, NJ
Pop. 157,864
C
64/100
Budget Balance44
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Jersey City
Paterson
Total Spending
$6.1B
$2.5B
Spending / Capita
$21,136
$16,110
Total Revenue
$4.5B
$1.0B
Revenue / Capita
$15,583
$6,517
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
287,899
157,864
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Jersey City$275
Paterson$142
Highways & Roads
Jersey City$173
Paterson$168
Parks & Recreation
Jersey City$248
Paterson$349
Health
Jersey City$634
Paterson$138

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Jersey CityPaterson
Property Tax
$0
$17
Sales Tax
$420
$450
Income Tax
$603
$0
Intergovernmental
$4,168
$6,517
Charges & Fees
$2,474
$0
Other
$3,297
$1,614

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Jersey CityPaterson
Fire Protection
$275
$142
Highways & Roads
$173
$168
Public Welfare
$953
$294
Health
$634
$138
Hospitals
$3,827
$2,937
Parks & Recreation
$248
$349
Housing
$4,412
$2,861
Sewerage
$155
$1
Utilities
$3,426
$71
Other
$7,033
$9,148
B
Jersey City, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
C
Paterson, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

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