Passaic, NJ vs Jersey City, 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: Passaic, NJ leads with education at $19,480 per resident, while Jersey City, NJ leads with health at $634.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Passaic, NJ at 3% of total revenue, whereas Jersey City, NJ relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 27%.
Summary
Passaic spends 232.5% 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 | $182 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $479 | $420 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $603 |
| Intergovernmental | $710 | $4,168 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,474 |
| Other | $1,358 | $3,297 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $8,511 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $752 | $275 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,498 | $173 |
| Education | $19,480 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $871 | $953 |
| Health | $0 | $634 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $3,827 |
| Parks & Recreation | $975 | $248 |
| Housing | $5,476 | $4,412 |
| Sewerage | $78 | $155 |
| Utilities | $8,628 | $3,426 |
| General Admin | $353 | $0 |
| Other | $23,649 | $7,033 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.