Dusenberry House · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Chatham run?
Chatham’s borough government spent $8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $936 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Chatham didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Chatham is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $936 per resident a year, or $2.56 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Chatham collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Chatham didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Chatham yet
Every year of Chatham’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the borough reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Chatham’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 Chatham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chatham →
Who’s in charge in Chatham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 159 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (8,601).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
The Chathams School District
Chatham’s K–12 school district, shared with Chatham Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $26,187 per pupil, $16,099 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 Chatham.
- 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 Chatham compares with the towns next door
Chatham’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,554 to $5,834 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Florham Park | $1,554 | $10,000+ |
| Millburn Township | $2,288 | $10,000+ |
| Summit | $5,834 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Chatham Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Chatham | estimate | $10,000+ |
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 Chatham’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Chatham’s government
How much does Chatham spend per resident?
About $936 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Chatham didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $10.8 million.
Who runs Chatham’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chatham yet.
How many people work for Chatham?
54 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $356,452 (about $4.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chatham in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Jon Bramnick) and General Assembly District 21 (Andrew Macurdy and Vinnie Kearney). The General Assembly district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chatham’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 (for Chatham, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →