Jersey City, NJ vs Paterson, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jersey City, NJ spends 31% more per resident than Paterson, NJ: $21,136 against $16,110. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Jersey City, NJ edges Paterson, NJ on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 64/100 (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 Paterson, NJ leads with parks and recreation at $349.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Jersey City, NJ and 100% in Paterson, NJ.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.