Photo: 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 4.0Surf City spent more per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Surf City’s city government spent $4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $3,344 per resident. Water and other utilities ($851,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Surf City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,344 per resident in 2022: more than 68% of them
Surf City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,344 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 New Jersey cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,261, and the middle half spent $403–$4,695. Surf City spent more than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 →
New Jersey cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Surf City itself left out).
About $3,344 per resident a year, or $9.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Surf City collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
No trend yet
Surf City reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $7,818 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.76% 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 Surf City’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Surf City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Surf City →
Who’s in charge in Surf City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Surf City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on surfcity-nj-gov.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 33 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 (1,205).
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.
Southern Regional School District
Surf City’s middle and high school district, shared with Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $28,252 per pupil, $16,968 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.
Long Beach Island School District · $49,241 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Surf City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: surfcity-nj-gov.us ↗
- 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 Surf City compares with the towns next door
Surf City spent $3,344 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford Township | $1,303 | $6,953 |
| Long Beach Township | $7,659 | $9,925 |
| Ship Bottom | estimate | $8,336 |
| Surf City | $3,344 | $7,818 |
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 Surf City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Surf City’s government
How much does Surf City spend per resident?
About $3,344 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 $3,344 was more than 68% of 25 New Jersey cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Surf City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,818 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see surfcity-nj-gov.us.
Who runs Surf City’s government?
See surfcity-nj-gov.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Surf City yet.
How many people work for Surf City?
37 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $253,698 (about $3.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Surf City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Carmen Amato) and General Assembly District 09 (Brian Rumpf and Greg Myhre). The General Assembly district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Surf City’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; 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 →