Atlantic City Convention Hall · Photo: Jack Boucher · Public domainAtlantic City spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Atlantic City’s city government spent $172.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $4,480 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($8.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Atlantic City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,108 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them
Atlantic City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,108 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,267, and the middle half spent $1,009–$1,600. Atlantic City spent more than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Atlantic City itself left out).
About $4,480 per resident a year, or $12.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 48% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Atlantic City reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $3,108 · 2023: $4,480.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,076 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,408 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.61% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Atlantic City’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Atlantic City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Atlantic City →
Who’s in charge in Atlantic City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 33 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (38,466).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Atlantic City School District
Atlantic City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $35,527 per pupil, $22,970 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Atlantic City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
- 3New Jersey SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Atlantic City compares with the towns next door
Atlantic City spent $3,108 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,047 to $4,797. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasantville | $1,047 | $5,984 |
| Absecon | $1,341 | $6,799 |
| Ventnor City | $4,563 runs schools | $6,775 |
| Brigantine | $4,797 runs schools | $6,187 |
| Galloway Township | estimate | $6,355 |
| Egg Harbor Township | estimate | $7,800 |
| Atlantic City | $3,108 | $5,408 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Atlantic City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Atlantic City’s government
How much does Atlantic City spend per resident?
About $4,480 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,108 was more than 93% of 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Atlantic City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,408 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Atlantic City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Atlantic City yet.
How many people work for Atlantic City?
1,160 full-time and 134 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $8.6M (about $103.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Atlantic City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Vince Polistina) and General Assembly District 02 (Don Guardian and Maureen Rowan). The General Assembly district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Atlantic City’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →