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2014-05-07 16 23 15 View of New York City, Secaucus, New Jersey, the Hackensack River, the New Jersey Turnpike Western Spur and New Jersey Route 3 from an airplane heading for Newark Liberty International AirportPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Secaucus

Secaucus spent more per resident in 2022 than 91% of similar cities

Secaucus’ town government spent $60 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,840 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in New Jersey.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$60.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,840
In 2022: $2,215, more than 91% of 45 similar cities
Long-term debt
$19.2M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2022
294
full-time · 270 part-time · March payroll $2.3M
Typical tax bill
$7,540
1.32% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how Secaucus is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$2,215 per resident in 2022: more than 91% of them

Secaucus’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,215 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. Secaucus spent more than 91% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,010–$1,440Median $1,189Secaucus

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; Secaucus itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,840 per resident a year, or $7.78 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 63%From the state 10%Fees & charges 8%From the federal government 6%From other local governments 6%Interest, fines & other 4%Other taxes & licenses 3%Sales taxes <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Secaucus 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 $803,000; payments to other governments $104,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $60.9 million.
About “Other”.28% of Secaucus’ day-to-day spending ($16.6 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 25% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$47.9 million
2023$57.7 million
2024$60 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,215 · 2023: $2,710 · 2024: $2,840.

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $7,540 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lyndhurst Township$10,000+
Kearny$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
Carlstadt$8,716
North Bergen Township$8,629
Jersey City$8,627
East Rutherford$8,163
Secaucus$7,540
$7,540
typical bill a year
1.32%
effective rate
$571,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Secaucus

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

See secaucusnj.gov for Secaucus’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Secaucus yet.secaucusnj.gov ↗
Agendas

Secaucus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on secaucusnj.gov ↗.

Who works for Secaucus

One full-time town employee for every 72 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 (21,108).

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

Police98 + 49 pt
Parks & libraries24 + 137 pt
Roads & transportation54 + 28 pt
Administration & buildings29 + 10 pt
Sewer & trash26 + 1 pt
Health & welfare9 + 31 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections8 + 4 pt
Housing & development9
Other37 + 10 pt
294
full-time
270
part-time
$2.3M
payroll for March 2022
$27.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$78,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
79
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Secaucus had 13.6 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: Secaucus had more than 97% 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

Secaucus Town School District

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

Schools in Secaucus →
$24,709
per pupil · NJ $28,441
2,196
students
$17.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $24,709 per pupil, $15,260 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 70%State 23%Federal 7%

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

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

Who represents Secaucus

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Secaucus.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  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 Secaucus compares with the towns next door

Secaucus spent $2,215 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,321 to $3,557. 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
Kearny$1,321$10,000+
Jersey City$1,758$8,627
East Rutherford$1,783$8,163
North Bergen Township$2,163$8,629
Carlstadt$3,557$8,716
Lyndhurst Townshipestimate$10,000+
Secaucus$2,215$7,540

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 Secaucus’ government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Secaucus’ government

How much does Secaucus spend per resident?

About $2,840 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 $2,215 was more than 91% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Secaucus?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,540 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see secaucusnj.gov.

Who runs Secaucus’ government?

See secaucusnj.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Secaucus yet.

How many people work for Secaucus?

294 full-time and 270 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Secaucus in the state legislature?

State Senate District 33 (Brian Stack) and General Assembly District 33 (Gabe Rodriguez and Larry Wainstein). The General Assembly district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Secaucus’ 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 →