Toms River, NJ vs Camden, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Camden, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $55,742 versus $9,931, a 461% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Toms River, NJ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 44/100 (grade D) for Camden, NJ — a 46-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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: Toms River, NJ leads with parks and recreation at $606 per resident, while Camden, NJ leads with education at $9,407.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 30% of total revenue in Toms River, NJ and 98% in Camden, NJ.
Summary
Camden spends 82.2% more per capita than Toms River ($45,811/person difference). Toms River, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $2 | $70 |
| Sales Tax | $439 | $90 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $1,040 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,838 | $10,075 |
| Other | $2,872 | $2,131 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,797 |
| Fire Protection | $277 | $840 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $155 |
| Education | $0 | $9,407 |
| Public Welfare | $324 | $1,010 |
| Health | $0 | $1,329 |
| Parks & Recreation | $606 | $570 |
| Housing | $2,899 | $4,700 |
| Sewerage | $363 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,122 | $4,198 |
| General Admin | $0 | $32 |
| Other | $4,339 | $27,704 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.