Toms River, NJ vs Elizabeth, NJ

Elizabeth, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $21,067 versus $9,931, a 112% 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 61/100 (grade C) for Elizabeth, NJ — a 29-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Toms River, NJ at $606 per resident and in Elizabeth, NJ at $980.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Toms River, NJ at 30% of total revenue, whereas Elizabeth, NJ relies most on charges and fees at 18%.