Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Toms River, NJ vs Trenton, NJ

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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

City A
Toms River, NJ
Pop. 92,827
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
City B
Trenton, NJ
Pop. 90,055
C
50/100
Budget Balance9
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity72
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Toms River
Trenton
Total Spending
$921.9M
$6.3B
Spending / Capita
$9,931
$69,951
Total Revenue
$1.2B
$1.0B
Revenue / Capita
$12,652
$11,558
Total Debt
$0
$10.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$111
Population
92,827
90,055
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Toms River$277
Trenton$333
Parks & Recreation
Toms River$606
Trenton$580
Education
Toms River$0
Trenton$47,653
Health
Toms River$0
Trenton$96

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Toms RiverTrenton
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)

Toms RiverTrenton
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
A
Toms River, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Trenton, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.