Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Paterson, NJ vs Camden, NJ

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

Summary

Camden spends 71.1% more per capita than Paterson ($39,632/person difference). Paterson, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Paterson, NJ
Pop. 157,864
C
64/100
Budget Balance44
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Camden, NJ
Pop. 71,799
D
44/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Paterson
Camden
Total Spending
$2.5B
$4.0B
Spending / Capita
$16,110
$55,742
Total Revenue
$1.0B
$735.2M
Revenue / Capita
$6,517
$10,239
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
157,864
71,799
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Paterson$0
Camden$5,797
Fire Protection
Paterson$142
Camden$840
Highways & Roads
Paterson$168
Camden$155
Parks & Recreation
Paterson$349
Camden$570
Education
Paterson$0
Camden$9,407
Health
Paterson$138
Camden$1,329

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PatersonCamden
Property Tax
$17
$70
Sales Tax
$450
$90
Income Tax
$0
$1,040
Intergovernmental
$6,517
$10,075
Other
$1,614
$2,131

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PatersonCamden
Police
$0
$5,797
Fire Protection
$142
$840
Highways & Roads
$168
$155
Education
$0
$9,407
Public Welfare
$294
$1,010
Health
$138
$1,329
Hospitals
$2,937
$0
Parks & Recreation
$349
$570
Housing
$2,861
$4,700
Sewerage
$1
$0
Utilities
$71
$4,198
General Admin
$0
$32
Other
$9,148
$27,704
C
Paterson, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
D
Camden, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities