Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Elizabeth spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Elizabeth’s city government spent $330.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,459 per resident.
What stands out about how Elizabeth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,287 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them
Elizabeth’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,287 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 147 New Jersey cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,322, and the middle half spent $1,002–$2,040. Elizabeth spent more than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($40 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elizabeth itself left out).
About $2,459 per resident a year, or $6.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elizabeth 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: $2,287 · 2023: $2,208 · 2024: $2,459.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,374 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
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 Elizabeth’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 Elizabeth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elizabeth →
Who’s in charge in Elizabeth
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elizabeth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on elizabethnj.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (134,283).
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.
Elizabeth City School District
Elizabeth’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,592 per pupil, $15,915 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 Elizabeth.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: elizabethnj.org ↗
- 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 Elizabeth compares with the towns next door
Elizabeth spent $2,287 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $846 to $4,631. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Roselle Park | $846 | $10,000+ |
| Union Township | $1,169 | $10,000+ |
| Roselle | $1,394 | $10,000+ |
| Linden | $1,689 | $10,000+ |
| Hillside Township | $2,006 | $10,000+ |
| Newark | $2,867 | $7,262 |
| Bayonne | $4,631 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Elizabeth | $2,287 | $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 Elizabeth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elizabeth’s government
How much does Elizabeth spend per resident?
About $2,459 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,287 was more than 81% of 147 New Jersey cities that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Elizabeth’s government?
See elizabethnj.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elizabeth yet.
How many people work for Elizabeth?
1,386 full-time and 266 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $11.0M (about $131.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elizabeth in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Joe Cryan) and General Assembly District 20 (Annette Quijano and Ed Rodriguez). The General Assembly district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elizabeth’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 →