Toms River, NJ vs Jersey City, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jersey City, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $21,136 versus $9,931, a 113% 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 70/100 (grade B) for Jersey City, NJ — a 20-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 Jersey City, NJ leads with health at $634.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 30% of total revenue in Toms River, NJ and 27% in Jersey City, NJ.
Summary
Jersey City spends 53.0% more per capita than Toms River ($11,205/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $439 | $420 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $603 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,838 | $4,168 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,474 |
| Other | $2,872 | $3,297 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $277 | $275 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $173 |
| Public Welfare | $324 | $953 |
| Health | $0 | $634 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $3,827 |
| Parks & Recreation | $606 | $248 |
| Housing | $2,899 | $4,412 |
| Sewerage | $363 | $155 |
| Utilities | $1,122 | $3,426 |
| Other | $4,339 | $7,033 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.