Paterson, NJ vs Jersey City, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jersey City, NJ spends 31% more per resident than Paterson, NJ: $21,136 against $16,110. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Jersey City, NJ edges Paterson, NJ on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 64/100 (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: Paterson, NJ leads with parks and recreation at $349 per resident, while Jersey City, NJ leads with health at $634.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Paterson, NJ and 27% in Jersey City, NJ.
Summary
Jersey City spends 23.8% more per capita than Paterson ($5,026/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 | $17 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $450 | $420 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $603 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,517 | $4,168 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,474 |
| Other | $1,614 | $3,297 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $142 | $275 |
| Highways & Roads | $168 | $173 |
| Public Welfare | $294 | $953 |
| Health | $138 | $634 |
| Hospitals | $2,937 | $3,827 |
| Parks & Recreation | $349 | $248 |
| Housing | $2,861 | $4,412 |
| Sewerage | $1 | $155 |
| Utilities | $71 | $3,426 |
| Other | $9,148 | $7,033 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.