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2022-09-09 17 15 02 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Clifton, Passaic County, New Jersey from an airplane shortly after takeoff from Newark Liberty International AirportPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Clifton

Clifton spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities

Clifton’s city government spent $127.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,436 per resident.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

6:30 pm · 900 Clifton Ave.

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$127.3M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,436
In 2022: $1,147, less than 71% of 24 similar cities
Long-term debt
$63.9M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
535
full-time · 158 part-time · March payroll $4.9M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Clifton is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,147 per resident, less than 71% of 24 similar cities.Its own police and fire153 sworn officers and 137 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Clifton’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,436 per resident a year, or $3.93 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 68%Fees & charges 15%From the federal government 7%Interest, fines & other 5%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the state 1%Sales taxes 1%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $283,000; interest on debt $2.2 million. With these, the whole budget was $129.9 million.
About “Other”.33% of Clifton’s day-to-day spending ($41.8 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$1,147 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them

Clifton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,147 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 24 New Jersey cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,542, and the middle half spent $1,074–$2,037. Clifton spent less than 71% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,074–$2,037Median $1,542Clifton

Includes sewer and trash ($15.7 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 →

The group
24

New Jersey cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clifton itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 31% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clifton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$97.5 million
2024$127.3 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,147 · 2024: $1,436. Per resident it went from $1,147 to $1,436 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 85,025 to 88,709.

City staff
535

full-time in March 2025, up from 527 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.

Property tax

Typical bills top $10,000 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Clifton$10,000+
Woodland Park$10,000+
Passaic$10,000+
Little Falls Township$10,000+
Montclair Township$10,000+
Paterson$10,000+
Nutley Township$10,000+
Rutherford$10,000+
Upper Montclair$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$461,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Clifton’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 Clifton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clifton →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Clifton

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cliftonnj.org for Clifton’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Clifton yet.cliftonnj.org ↗
Who works for Clifton

One full-time city employee for every 166 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 2024 finance file (88,709).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police186
Fire146 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries44 + 28 pt
Administration & buildings30 + 5 pt
Sewer & trash25
Health & welfare19 + 3 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections15 + 8 pt
Roads & transportation5 + 1 pt
Other65 + 111 pt
535
full-time
158
part-time
$4.9M
payroll for March 2025
$58.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$103,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
153
sworn police officers
137
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Clifton didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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 school district

Clifton City School District

Clifton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Clifton →
$25,478
per pupil · NJ $28,441
11,010
students
$161.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $25,478 per pupil, $15,483 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 45%State 44%Federal 11%

New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Clifton

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Clifton.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cliftonnj.org ↗
  2. 2
    New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
    Alixon Collazos-GillRosy Bagolie
  3. 3
    New Jersey SenateState senator
    John McKeon
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mikie Sherrill
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Nellie Pou
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
    Cory A. BookerAndy Kim

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Clifton compares with the towns next door

Clifton spent $1,147 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,015 to $5,945. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Woodland Park: $1,066 per resident (2022)Garfield: $1,015 per resident (2022)Montclair State University: unincorporated, no town budgetPassaic: $2,035 per resident (2022)Little Falls Township: no reported 2022 figuresMontclair Township: $5,945 per resident (2022)Paterson: $1,716 per resident (2022)Nutley Township: no reported 2022 figuresRutherford: no reported 2022 figuresUpper Montclair: unincorporated, no town budgetWoodland ParkGarfieldMontclair State UniversityPassaicLittle Falls TownshipMontclair TownshipPatersonNutley TownshipRutherfordUpper MontclairClifton
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Garfield$1,015$9,308
Woodland Park$1,066$10,000+
Paterson$1,716$10,000+
Passaic$2,035$10,000+
Montclair Township$5,945 runs schools$10,000+
Little Falls Townshipestimate$10,000+
Nutley Townshipestimate$10,000+
Rutherfordestimate$10,000+
Clifton$1,147$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 Clifton’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecliftonnj.org ↗

Questions about Clifton’s government

How much does Clifton spend per resident?

About $1,436 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,147 was less than 71% of 24 New Jersey cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Clifton’s government?

See cliftonnj.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clifton yet.

How many people work for Clifton?

535 full-time and 158 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.9M (about $58.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Clifton in the state legislature?

State Senate District 27 (John McKeon) and General Assembly District 27 (Alixon Collazos-Gill and Rosy Bagolie). The General Assembly district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Clifton?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Wednesday, November 4, at 6:30 pm in 900 Clifton Ave., from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Clifton’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →