Photo: Hudconja · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Kearny run?
Kearny’s town government spent $53.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,321 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Kearny is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,321 per resident a year, or $3.62 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Kearny collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
$1,321 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Kearny’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,321 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–$1,703. Kearny spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.2 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; Kearny itself left out).
No trend yet
Kearny reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 291 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
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 Kearny’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 Kearny’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Kearny →
Who’s in charge in Kearny
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Kearny’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on kearnynj.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 135 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 2022 finance file (40,507).
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.
Kearny Town School District
Kearny’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,816 per pupil, $16,527 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 Kearny.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: kearnynj.org ↗
- 2New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
- 3New Jersey SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Kearny compares with the towns next door
Kearny spent $1,321 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,139 to $4,294. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| North Arlington | $1,139 | $10,000+ |
| Jersey City | $1,758 | $8,627 |
| Secaucus | $2,215 | $7,540 |
| Newark | $2,867 | $7,262 |
| Harrison | $4,294 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Lyndhurst Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| East Newark | estimate | $8,470 |
| Belleville Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Kearny | $1,321 | $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 Kearny’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Kearny’s government
How much does Kearny spend per resident?
About $1,321 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,321 was more than 53% of 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Kearny’s government?
See kearnynj.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Kearny yet.
How many people work for Kearny?
301 full-time and 112 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.0M (about $35.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Kearny in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Angela McKnight) and General Assembly District 31 (Jerry Walker and Will Sampson). The General Assembly district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Kearny’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 →