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VAN DIEN HOUSE, RIDGEWOOD, BERGEN COUNTYPhoto: J · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Ridgewood

How is Ridgewood run?

Ridgewood’s village government spent $30.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,216 per resident.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$30.3M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,216
In 2022: $1,216, more than 53% of 45 similar cities
Long-term debt
$97.3M
end of 2022, reported
Village staff, 2022
263
full-time · 25 part-time · March payroll $2.3M
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Ridgewood is run

Read from the village’s budget and official records.

Who works for Ridgewood

One full-time village employee for every 95 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 (24,915).

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

Sewer & trash53 + 5 pt
Police52
Fire46
Water & other utilities40 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings24 + 13 pt
Roads & transportation19
Parks & libraries17 + 3 pt
Health & welfare7 + 3 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections5
263
full-time
25
part-time
$2.3M
payroll for March 2022
$27.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$104,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
47
sworn police officers
43
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Ridgewood had 10.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 33 of the 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.5: Ridgewood had more than 94% 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.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,216 per resident a year, or $3.33 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 66%Interest, fines & other 19%Utility sales 7%Fees & charges 5%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the federal government 1%Sales taxes 1%From the state <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Ridgewood 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 $3.5 million. With these, the whole budget was $33.8 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,216 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Ridgewood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,216 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–$1,449. Ridgewood spent more than 53% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,010–$1,449Median $1,189Ridgewood

Includes sewer and trash ($4.7 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
45

New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ridgewood itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

Typical bills top $10,000 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Ridgewood$10,000+
Ho-Ho-Kus$10,000+
Paramus$10,000+
Glen Rock$10,000+
Washington Township$10,000+
Waldwick$10,000+
Midland Park$10,000+
Wyckoff Township$10,000+
Hawthorne$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$891,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Ridgewood

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

See ridgewoodnj.net for Ridgewood’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Ridgewood yet.ridgewoodnj.net ↗
Agendas

Ridgewood’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on ridgewoodnj.net ↗.

The school district

Ridgewood Village School District

Ridgewood’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Ridgewood →
$25,227
per pupil · NJ $28,441
5,544
students
$27 million
long-term debt

Of the $25,227 per pupil, $15,405 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 75%State 24%Federal 1%

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

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

Who represents Ridgewood

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ridgewood.

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 Ridgewood compares with the towns next door

Ridgewood spent $1,216 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $665 to $2,115. 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
Hawthorne$665$10,000+
Glen Rock$1,403$10,000+
Paramus$2,115$10,000+
Ho-Ho-Kusestimate$10,000+
Washington Townshipestimate$10,000+
Waldwickestimate$10,000+
Midland Parkestimate$10,000+
Wyckoff Townshipestimate$10,000+
Ridgewood$1,216$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 Ridgewood’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Ridgewood’s government

How much does Ridgewood spend per resident?

About $1,216 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 $1,216 was more than 53% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Ridgewood’s government?

See ridgewoodnj.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ridgewood yet.

How many people work for Ridgewood?

263 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Ridgewood in the state legislature?

State Senate District 40 (Kristin Corrado) and General Assembly District 40 (Al Barlas and Chris DePhillips). The General Assembly district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Ridgewood’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 →