Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0How is North Plainfield run?
North Plainfield’s borough government spent $23.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,036 per resident.
What stands out about how North Plainfield is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
One full-time borough employee for every 174 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (22,637).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
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 $1,036 per resident a year, or $2.84 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,163 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
North Plainfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,163 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,200, and the middle half spent $1,010–$1,449. North Plainfield spent less than 56% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; North Plainfield itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 5% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years North Plainfield 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: $1,163 · 2023: $1,127 · 2024: $1,036. Per resident it went from $1,163 to $1,036 (down 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 21,246 to 22,637.
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 North Plainfield’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 North Plainfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in North Plainfield →
Who’s in charge in North Plainfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
North Plainfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on northplainfield.org ↗.
North Plainfield Borough School District
North Plainfield’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,407 per pupil, $15,462 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 North Plainfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: northplainfield.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 North Plainfield compares with the towns next door
North Plainfield spent $1,163 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,475 to $2,251. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Watchung | $1,475 | $10,000+ |
| Plainfield | $2,251 | $9,920 |
| Green Brook Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| North Plainfield | $1,163 | $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 North Plainfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about North Plainfield’s government
How much does North Plainfield spend per resident?
About $1,036 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,163 was less than 56% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs North Plainfield’s government?
See northplainfield.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for North Plainfield yet.
How many people work for North Plainfield?
130 full-time and 57 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents North Plainfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Nick Scutari) and General Assembly District 22 (Jim Kennedy and Linda Carter). The General Assembly district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about North Plainfield’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 →