Jersey City, NJ vs Toms River, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jersey City, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $21,136 versus $9,931, a 113% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Toms River, NJ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Jersey City, NJ — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Toms River, NJ leads with parks and recreation at $606.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 27% of total revenue in Jersey City, NJ and 30% in Toms River, NJ.
Summary
Jersey City spends 112.8% more per capita than Toms River ($11,205/person difference). Toms River, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $2 |
| Sales Tax | $420 | $439 |
| Income Tax | $603 | $26 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,168 | $3,838 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,474 | $0 |
| Other | $3,297 | $2,872 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $275 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $173 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $953 | $324 |
| Health | $634 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $3,827 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $248 | $606 |
| Housing | $4,412 | $2,899 |
| Sewerage | $155 | $363 |
| Utilities | $3,426 | $1,122 |
| Other | $7,033 | $4,339 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.