Photo: KForce at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Hackensack run?
Hackensack’s city government spent $102.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,243 per resident.
What stands out about how Hackensack is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
One full-time city employee for every 110 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 (45,646).
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.
About $2,243 per resident a year, or $6.15 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Hackensack collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
$1,187 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hackensack’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,187 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 $1,321, and the middle half spent $1,009–$1,703. Hackensack spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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; Hackensack itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 96% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hackensack 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: $1,187 · 2023: $2,243. Per resident it went from $1,187 to $2,243 (up 89%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 43,981 to 45,646.
full-time in March 2025, up from 408 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 $9,652 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.45% 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 Hackensack’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 Hackensack’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hackensack →
Who’s in charge in Hackensack
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hackensack’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hackensack.org ↗.
Hackensack City School District
Hackensack’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $29,264 per pupil, $17,937 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 Hackensack.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: hackensack.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 Hackensack compares with the towns next door
Hackensack spent $1,187 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,010 to $2,115. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lodi | $1,010 | $10,000+ |
| Teaneck Township | $1,282 | $10,000+ |
| Hasbrouck Heights | $1,282 | $10,000+ |
| Ridgefield Park | $1,790 | $10,000+ |
| Paramus | $2,115 | $10,000+ |
| Maywood | estimate | $10,000+ |
| River Edge | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Bogota | estimate | $10,000+ |
| South Hackensack Township | estimate | $9,486 |
| Hackensack | $1,187 | $9,652 |
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 Hackensack’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hackensack’s government
How much does Hackensack spend per resident?
About $2,243 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 $1,187 was less than 60% of 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hackensack?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,652 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hackensack.org.
Who runs Hackensack’s government?
See hackensack.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hackensack yet.
How many people work for Hackensack?
414 full-time and 114 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.5M (about $53.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Hackensack in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (Gordon Johnson) and General Assembly District 37 (Ellen Park and Shama Haider). The General Assembly district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hackensack’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 →