Toms River, NJ vs Passaic, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Passaic, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $70,270 versus $9,931, a 608% 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 63/100 (grade C) for Passaic, NJ — a 27-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 Passaic, NJ leads with education at $19,480.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Toms River, NJ at 30% of total revenue, whereas Passaic, NJ relies most on other revenue at 3%.
Summary
Passaic spends 85.9% more per capita than Toms River ($60,339/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 | $182 |
| Sales Tax | $439 | $479 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,838 | $710 |
| Other | $2,872 | $1,358 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $8,511 |
| Fire Protection | $277 | $752 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,498 |
| Education | $0 | $19,480 |
| Public Welfare | $324 | $871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $606 | $975 |
| Housing | $2,899 | $5,476 |
| Sewerage | $363 | $78 |
| Utilities | $1,122 | $8,628 |
| General Admin | $0 | $353 |
| Other | $4,339 | $23,649 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.