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Ringwood Manor spring 2015Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Ringwood

Ringwood spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities

Ringwood’s borough government spent $15 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,308 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$15.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,308
In 2022: $939, less than 80% of 45 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.2M
end of 2024, reported
Borough staff, 2022
61
full-time · 36 part-time · March payroll $610,254
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Ringwood is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$939 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them

Ringwood’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($939 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 $1,020–$1,449. Ringwood spent less than 80% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,020–$1,449Median $1,200Ringwood

Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 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; Ringwood itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,308 per resident a year, or $3.58 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 97%From the state 1%Interest, fines & other 1%From other local governments <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Ringwood 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 $237,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $16.9 million.
About “Other”.31% of Ringwood’s day-to-day spending ($4.6 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 32% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ringwood reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$11.4 million
2024$15 million

Per resident: 2022: $939 · 2024: $1,308. Per resident it went from $939 to $1,308 (up 39%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 12,157 to 11,489.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

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

Ringwood$10,000+
Wanaque$10,000+
West Milford Township$10,000+
Bloomingdale$10,000+
Ramapo$10,000+
Warwick$9,982
New Jersey$9,590
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$449,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Ringwood

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

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

Ringwood’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on ringwoodnj.net ↗.

Who works for Ringwood

One full-time borough employee for every 188 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 (11,489).

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

Police26 + 11 pt
Roads & transportation14
Administration & buildings7 + 13 pt
Health & welfare3
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 3 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities2
Sewer & trash0 + 3 pt
Fire0 + 1 pt
Other6 + 4 pt
61
full-time
36
part-time
$610,254
payroll for March 2022
$7.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$109,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
21
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Ringwood had 5.0 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: Ringwood had fewer than 82% 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

Ringwood Borough School District

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

Schools in Ringwood →
$32,592
per pupil · NJ $28,441
1,019
students
$5.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $32,592 per pupil, $19,651 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 2%

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

Also serving Ringwood

Lakeland Regional School District · $33,443 per pupil

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

Who represents Ringwood

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ringwood.

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 Ringwood compares with the towns next door

Ringwood spent $939 per resident in 2022. 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
Wanaqueestimate$10,000+
West Milford Townshipestimate$10,000+
Bloomingdaleestimate$10,000+
Ringwood$939$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 Ringwood’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Ringwood’s government

How much does Ringwood spend per resident?

About $1,308 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 $939 was less than 80% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Ringwood’s government?

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

How many people work for Ringwood?

61 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $610,254 (about $7.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Ringwood in the state legislature?

State Senate District 26 (Joe Pennacchio) and General Assembly District 26 (Brian Bergen and Jay Webber). The General Assembly district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Ringwood’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 →