Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ocean City spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Ocean City’s city government spent $56.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $5,049 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.
What stands out about how Ocean City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$5,157 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Ocean City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,157 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 $1,189, and the middle half spent $1,010–$1,440. Ocean City spent more than 100% 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; Ocean City itself left out).
About $5,049 per resident a year, or $13.83 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Ocean City collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ocean City 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: $5,157 · 2023: $5,049.
full-time in March 2025, up from 252 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 $6,040 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Ocean City’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 Ocean City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ocean City →
Who’s in charge in Ocean City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 44 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 (11,190).
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.
Ocean City School District
Ocean City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $31,049 per pupil, $19,843 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 Ocean City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ocnj.us ↗
- 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 Ocean City compares with the towns next door
Ocean City spent $5,157 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $429. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Township | $429 | $6,195 |
| Egg Harbor Township | estimate | $7,800 |
| Somers Point | estimate | $6,862 |
| Longport | estimate | $8,264 |
| Ocean City | $5,157 | $6,040 |
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 Ocean City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ocean City’s government
How much does Ocean City spend per resident?
About $5,049 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 $5,157 was more than 100% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ocean City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,040 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ocnj.us.
Who runs Ocean City’s government?
See ocnj.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ocean City yet.
How many people work for Ocean City?
257 full-time and 232 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.8M (about $33.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Ocean City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Mike Testa) and General Assembly District 01 (Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen). The General Assembly district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ocean City’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 →