Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Trenton spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Trenton’s city government spent $670.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $7,473 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Trenton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$6,068 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Trenton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($6,068 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 New Jersey cities that run their own schools: the median was $4,752, and the middle half spent $4,428–$5,758. Trenton spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.7 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 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Trenton itself left out).
About $7,473 per resident a year, or $20.47 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 66% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Trenton runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with New Jersey cities that run their own schools.
Day-to-day spending is up 33% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Trenton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $6,068 · 2023: $6,532 · 2024: $7,473. Per resident it went from $6,068 to $7,473 (up 23%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 82,957 to 89,661.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,568 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,404 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.74% 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 Trenton’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 Trenton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Trenton →
Who’s in charge in Trenton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Trenton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on trentonnj.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 33 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (89,661).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Trenton City School District
Trenton’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Trenton, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $22,736 per pupil, $12,735 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 Trenton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: trentonnj.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 Trenton compares with the towns next door
Trenton spent $6,068 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ewing Township | $1,295 | $7,891 |
| Hamilton Township | $1,327 | $7,622 |
| Lawrence Township | $1,432 | $9,225 |
| Trenton | $6,068 | $4,404 |
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 Trenton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Trenton’s government
How much does Trenton spend per resident?
About $7,473 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $6,068 was more than 80% of 15 New Jersey cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Trenton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,404 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see trentonnj.org.
Who runs Trenton’s government?
See trentonnj.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Trenton yet.
How many people work for Trenton?
2,757 full-time and 201 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $22.2M (about $266.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Trenton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Shirley Turner) and General Assembly District 15 (Anthony Verrelli and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson). The General Assembly district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Trenton’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 →