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Downtown South Amboy, NJPhoto: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · South Amboy

How is South Amboy run?

South Amboy’s city government spent $17.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,882 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: South Amboy didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$17.1M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,882
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$7.4M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
183
full-time · 127 part-time · March payroll $1.3M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$8,303
2.19% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how South Amboy is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Who works for South Amboy

One full-time city employee for every 50 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (9,095).

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

Police58 + 6 pt
Roads & transportation34 + 13 pt
Administration & buildings33 + 12 pt
Parks & libraries9 + 47 pt
Fire15 + 29 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections13 + 3 pt
Housing & development9 + 5 pt
Sewer & trash7 + 3 pt
Health & welfare0 + 3 pt
Other5 + 6 pt
183
full-time
127
part-time
$1.3M
payroll for March 2022
$15.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$73,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
48
sworn police officers
15
full-time firefighters
Estimates.South Amboy didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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 $1,882 per resident a year, or $5.16 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 22%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 60%Fees & charges 10%From the state 10%From the federal government 10%Interest, fines & other 8%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes <1%
An estimate

South Amboy didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $339,000; payments to other governments $393,000. With these, the whole budget was $17.8 million.
About “Other”.37% of South Amboy’s day-to-day spending ($6.4 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for South Amboy yet

Every year of South Amboy’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $8,303 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.19% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New Jersey$9,590
Sayreville$8,832
South Amboy$8,303
Perth Amboy$7,805
$8,303
typical bill a year
2.19%
effective rate
$379,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in South Amboy

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

See southamboynj.gov for South Amboy’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for South Amboy yet.southamboynj.gov ↗
Agendas

South Amboy’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on southamboynj.gov ↗.

The school district

South Amboy City School District

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

Schools in South Amboy →
$21,064
per pupil · NJ $28,441
1,202
students
$4.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $21,064 per pupil, $12,943 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 42%State 50%Federal 8%

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

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

Who represents South Amboy

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for South Amboy.

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 South Amboy compares with the towns next door

South Amboy’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $736 to $2,044 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Sayreville$736$8,832
Perth Amboy$2,044$7,805
South Amboyestimate$8,303

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 South Amboy’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about South Amboy’s government

How much does South Amboy spend per resident?

About $1,882 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (South Amboy didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $17.8 million.

What is the property tax rate in South Amboy?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,303 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see southamboynj.gov.

Who runs South Amboy’s government?

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

How many people work for South Amboy?

183 full-time and 127 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents South Amboy in the state legislature?

State Senate District 19 (Joe Vitale) and General Assembly District 19 (Craig Coughlin and Yvonne Lopez). The General Assembly district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about South Amboy’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 (for South Amboy, 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 →