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Collins and Pancoast HallCollins and Pancoast Hall · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Merchantville

How is Merchantville run?

Merchantville’s borough government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,606 per resident.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$5.9M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,606
In 2022: $1,606, more than 54% of 48 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.2M
end of 2022, reported
Borough staff, 2022
19
full-time · 26 part-time · March payroll $122,069 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$9,644
2.91% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how Merchantville is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

Who works for Merchantville

One full-time borough employee for every 194 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (3,691).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police14 + 12 pt
Sewer & trash2 + 4 pt
Administration & buildings1 + 5 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 4 pt
Fire1
Other0 + 1 pt
19
full-time
26
part-time
$122,069
payroll for March 2022
$1.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$61,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
12
sworn police officers
1
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Merchantville 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.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,606 per resident a year, or $4.40 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 41%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 87%From the state 4%Interest, fines & other 4%Fees & charges 3%From the federal government 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Merchantville collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $94,000; payments to other governments $152,000. With these, the whole budget was $6.2 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,606 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Merchantville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,606 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,439, and the middle half spent $1,079–$2,284. Merchantville spent more than 54% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,079–$2,284Median $1,439Merchantville

Includes sewer and trash ($455,000), 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
48

New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Merchantville itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Merchantville reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $9,644 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.91% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Cherry Hill Township$9,811
Merchantville$9,644
New Jersey$9,590
Cherry Hill Mall$9,211
Pennsauken Township$6,152
$9,644
typical bill a year
2.91%
effective rate
$331,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Merchantville

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

See merchantvillenj.gov for Merchantville’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Merchantville yet.merchantvillenj.gov ↗
Agendas

Merchantville’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on merchantvillenj.gov ↗.

The school district

Merchantville Borough School District

Merchantville’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Merchantville →
$22,523
per pupil · NJ $28,441
400
students
$750,000
long-term debt

Of the $22,523 per pupil, $14,608 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 39%State 58%Federal 4%

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

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

Who represents Merchantville

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Merchantville.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New Jersey SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey

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

Next door

How Merchantville compares with the towns next door

Merchantville spent $1,606 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $758. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Cherry Hill Township$758$9,811
Pennsauken Townshipestimate$6,152
Merchantville$1,606$9,644

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 Merchantville’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Merchantville’s government

How much does Merchantville spend per resident?

About $1,606 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 $1,606 was more than 54% of 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Merchantville?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,644 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see merchantvillenj.gov.

Who runs Merchantville’s government?

See merchantvillenj.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Merchantville yet.

How many people work for Merchantville?

19 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $122,069 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Merchantville in the state legislature?

State Senate District 5 (Nilsa Cruz-Perez) and General Assembly District 05 (Bill Moen and Bill Spearman). The General Assembly district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Merchantville’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 →