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2025-08-08 18 29 52 UTC View of Roselle (center) and surrounding communities in Union County, New Jersey from a plane departing Newark Liberty International AirportPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Roselle

Roselle spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities

Roselle’s borough government spent $30.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,394 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in New Jersey.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$30.2M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,394
In 2022: $1,394, more than 69% of 45 similar cities
Long-term debt
$41.1M
end of 2022, reported
Borough staff, 2022
173
full-time · 57 part-time · March payroll $1.3M
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Roselle is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,394 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them

Roselle’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,394 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. Roselle spent more than 69% of them.

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

Includes sewer and trash ($4.4 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; Roselle itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,394 per resident a year, or $3.82 a day

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

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 91%Interest, fines & other 5%Other taxes & licenses 3%Sales taxes 1%Fees & charges <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $31.3 million.
Over the years

No trend yet

Roselle reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), 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

Roselle$10,000+
Linden$10,000+
Cranford Township$10,000+
Elizabeth$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$379,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Roselle

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

See boroughofroselle.com for Roselle’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Roselle yet.boroughofroselle.com ↗
Agendas

Roselle’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on boroughofroselle.com ↗.

Who works for Roselle

One full-time borough employee for every 125 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 (21,689).

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

Police62 + 24 pt
Sewer & trash29 + 11 pt
Fire32
Administration & buildings23 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries6 + 8 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections7 + 3 pt
Other14 + 9 pt
173
full-time
57
part-time
$1.3M
payroll for March 2022
$16.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$87,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
55
sworn police officers
31
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Roselle had 8.0 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: Roselle had more than 76% 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

Roselle Borough School District

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

Schools in Roselle →
$25,106
per pupil · NJ $28,441
3,080
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $25,106 per pupil, $14,813 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 30%State 61%Federal 9%

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

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

Who represents Roselle

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Roselle.

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 Roselle compares with the towns next door

Roselle spent $1,394 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,689 to $2,287. 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
Linden$1,689$10,000+
Elizabeth$2,287$10,000+
Cranford Townshipestimate$10,000+
Roselle$1,394$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 Roselle’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Roselle’s government

How much does Roselle spend per resident?

About $1,394 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 $1,394 was more than 69% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Roselle’s government?

See boroughofroselle.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Roselle yet.

How many people work for Roselle?

173 full-time and 57 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $16.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Roselle in the state legislature?

State Senate District 20 (Joe Cryan) and General Assembly District 20 (Annette Quijano and Ed Rodriguez). The General Assembly district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Roselle’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 →