Toms River, NJ vs Trenton, NJ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Trenton, NJ outspends Toms River, NJ by a wide margin per resident — $69,951 versus $9,931, a 604% 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 50/100 (grade C) for Trenton, NJ — a 40-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Toms River, NJ reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Trenton, NJ carries $111 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Toms River, NJ leads with parks and recreation at $606 per resident, while Trenton, NJ leads with education at $47,653.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Toms River, NJ at 30% of total revenue, whereas Trenton, NJ relies most on charges and fees at 46%.
Summary
Trenton spends 85.8% more per capita than Toms River ($60,020/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 | $22 |
| Sales Tax | $439 | $769 |
| Income Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,838 | $1,876 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $5,281 |
| Other | $2,872 | $432 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $277 | $333 |
| Education | $0 | $47,653 |
| Public Welfare | $324 | $362 |
| Health | $0 | $96 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,234 |
| Parks & Recreation | $606 | $580 |
| Housing | $2,899 | $3,325 |
| Sewerage | $363 | $176 |
| Utilities | $1,122 | $5,430 |
| Other | $4,339 | $9,760 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.