Jersey City, NJ vs Trenton, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Trenton, NJ outspends Jersey City, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $69,951 versus $21,136, a 231% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Jersey City, NJ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Trenton, NJ — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Jersey City, NJ reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Trenton, NJ carries $111 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jersey City, NJ leads with health at $634 per resident, while Trenton, NJ leads with education at $47,653.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jersey City, NJ at 27% of total revenue, whereas Trenton, NJ relies most on charges and fees at 46%.
Summary
Trenton spends 69.8% more per capita than Jersey City ($48,815/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 | $22 |
| Sales Tax | $420 | $769 |
| Income Tax | $603 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,168 | $1,876 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,474 | $5,281 |
| Other | $3,297 | $432 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $275 | $333 |
| Highways & Roads | $173 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $47,653 |
| Public Welfare | $953 | $362 |
| Health | $634 | $96 |
| Hospitals | $3,827 | $2,234 |
| Parks & Recreation | $248 | $580 |
| Housing | $4,412 | $3,325 |
| Sewerage | $155 | $176 |
| Utilities | $3,426 | $5,430 |
| Other | $7,033 | $9,760 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.