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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Trenton, NJ vs Paterson, NJ

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

Summary

Trenton spends 334.2% more per capita than Paterson ($53,841/person difference). Paterson, NJ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Trenton, NJ
Pop. 90,055
C
50/100
Budget Balance9
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity72
Trend Direction50
City B
Paterson, NJ
Pop. 157,864
C
64/100
Budget Balance44
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Trenton
Paterson
Total Spending
$6.3B
$2.5B
Spending / Capita
$69,951
$16,110
Total Revenue
$1.0B
$1.0B
Revenue / Capita
$11,558
$6,517
Total Debt
$10.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$111
$0
Population
90,055
157,864
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Trenton$333
Paterson$142
Highways & Roads
Trenton$0
Paterson$168
Parks & Recreation
Trenton$580
Paterson$349
Education
Trenton$47,653
Paterson$0
Health
Trenton$96
Paterson$138

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TrentonPaterson
Property Tax
$22
$17
Sales Tax
$769
$450
Intergovernmental
$1,876
$6,517
Charges & Fees
$5,281
$0
Other
$432
$1,614

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TrentonPaterson
Fire Protection
$333
$142
Highways & Roads
$0
$168
Education
$47,653
$0
Public Welfare
$362
$294
Health
$96
$138
Hospitals
$2,234
$2,937
Parks & Recreation
$580
$349
Housing
$3,325
$2,861
Sewerage
$176
$1
Utilities
$5,430
$71
Other
$9,760
$9,148
C
Trenton, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
C
Paterson, NJ
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

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