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

Paterson, NJ vs East Orange, NJ

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

Summary

East Orange spends 76.8% more per capita than Paterson ($53,350/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
East Orange, NJ
Pop. 68,879
D
43/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden85
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity50
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Paterson
East Orange
Total Spending
$2.5B
$4.8B
Spending / Capita
$16,110
$69,459
Total Revenue
$1.0B
$997.6M
Revenue / Capita
$6,517
$14,483
Total Debt
$0
$22.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$323
Population
157,864
68,879
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Paterson$142
East Orange$319
Highways & Roads
Paterson$168
East Orange$346
Parks & Recreation
Paterson$349
East Orange$581
Education
Paterson$0
East Orange$46,120
Health
Paterson$138
East Orange$623

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PatersonEast Orange
Property Tax
$17
$0
Sales Tax
$450
$164
Intergovernmental
$6,517
$7,381
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,463
Other
$1,614
$885

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PatersonEast Orange
Fire Protection
$142
$319
Highways & Roads
$168
$346
Education
$0
$46,120
Public Welfare
$294
$557
Health
$138
$623
Hospitals
$2,937
$2,311
Parks & Recreation
$349
$581
Housing
$2,861
$3,425
Sewerage
$1
$259
Utilities
$71
$4,177
Other
$9,148
$10,741
C
Paterson, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
D
East Orange, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 43/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities