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CR 503 nb at Park Street, Moonachie, NJ, Oct. 2024Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Moonachie

Moonachie spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities

Moonachie’s borough government spent $9.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $3,618 per resident.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$9.7M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$3,618
In 2022: $3,618, more than 90% of 48 similar cities
Long-term debt
$9.6M
end of 2022, reported
Borough staff, 2022
39
full-time · 31 part-time · March payroll $389,911
Typical tax bill
$9,169
2.06% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how Moonachie is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$3,618 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them

Moonachie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,618 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–$2,186. Moonachie spent more than 90% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,079–$2,186Median $1,439Moonachie

Includes sewer and trash ($1.7 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
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; Moonachie itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $3,618 per resident a year, or $9.91 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 74%Fees & charges 10%From other local governments 10%Interest, fines & other 3%Other taxes & licenses 2%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Moonachie 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 $362,000; payments to other governments $4,000. With these, the whole budget was $10.1 million.
About “Other”.29% of Moonachie’s day-to-day spending ($2.8 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $9,169 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.06% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Little Ferry$10,000+
Wood-Ridge$10,000+
Hasbrouck Heights$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
South Hackensack Township$9,486
Moonachie$9,169
Carlstadt$8,716
$9,169
typical bill a year
2.06%
effective rate
$445,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Moonachie

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

See moonachie.us for Moonachie’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Moonachie yet.moonachie.us ↗
Agendas

Moonachie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on moonachie.us ↗.

Who works for Moonachie

One full-time borough employee for every 69 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,689).

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

Police23 + 3 pt
Administration & buildings6 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation5 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections2 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash2
Health & welfare0 + 1 pt
Other1 + 16 pt
39
full-time
31
part-time
$389,911
payroll for March 2022
$4.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$102,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
21
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Moonachie had 14.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 33 of the 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.7: Moonachie had more than 91% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Moonachie Borough School District

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

Schools in Moonachie →
$24,587
per pupil · NJ $28,441
368
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $24,587 per pupil, $13,807 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 74%State 22%Federal 4%

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

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

Who represents Moonachie

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Moonachie.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: moonachie.us ↗
  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 Moonachie compares with the towns next door

Moonachie spent $3,618 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $611 to $3,557. 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
Little Ferry$611$10,000+
Hasbrouck Heights$1,282$10,000+
Carlstadt$3,557$8,716
Wood-Ridgeestimate$10,000+
South Hackensack Townshipestimate$9,486
Teterboroestimate—
Moonachie$3,618$9,169

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 Moonachie’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Moonachie’s government

How much does Moonachie spend per resident?

About $3,618 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 $3,618 was more than 90% of 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Moonachie?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,169 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.06% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see moonachie.us.

Who runs Moonachie’s government?

See moonachie.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Moonachie yet.

How many people work for Moonachie?

39 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $389,911 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Moonachie in the state legislature?

State Senate District 38 (Joe Lagana) and General Assembly District 38 (Chris Tully and Lisa Swain). The General Assembly district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Moonachie’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 →