Photo: Smallbones · Public domainHow is Salem run?
Salem’s city government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $890 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Salem didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Salem is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $890 per resident a year, or $2.44 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Salem didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Salem yet
Every year of Salem’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $3,648 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 4.57% 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 Salem’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 Salem’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Salem →
Who’s in charge in Salem
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Salem’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsalemnj.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 110 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (5,297).
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.
Salem City School District
Salem’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $28,822 per pupil, $15,165 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 Salem.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsalemnj.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 Salem compares with the towns next door
Salem’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,129 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsville Township | $1,129 | $7,629 |
| Mannington Township | estimate | $8,002 |
| Elsinboro Township | estimate | $6,033 |
| Quinton Township | estimate | $5,716 |
| Salem | estimate | $3,648 |
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 Salem’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Salem’s government
How much does Salem spend per resident?
About $890 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Salem didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $6.9 million.
What is the property tax rate in Salem?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,648 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 4.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsalemnj.org.
Who runs Salem’s government?
See cityofsalemnj.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Salem yet.
How many people work for Salem?
48 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $262,129 (about $3.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Salem in the state legislature?
State Senate District 3 (John Burzichelli) and General Assembly District 03 (Dave Bailey and Heather Simmons). The General Assembly district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Salem’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 (for Salem, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →