City government · Passaic County, NJ

Clifton's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Clifton took in $140 million and spent $130 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes71%Fees for services (sewer, housing)15%Federal tax money7.3%Fines and other4.9%State tax money1.4%County and local tax money0.4%

What stands out

68%

of Clifton's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 20%.

City taxes71%

Property tax
68%$94.5 million
Other taxes
3.2%$4.5 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; public utility taxes and 2 more
  • Other licenses$3.0 million
  • Public utility taxes$775 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$424 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$276 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services15%

Fees for services
15%$21.2 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; other service charges and 3 more
  • Sewer$12.1 million
  • Other service charges$8.4 million
  • Housing$536 thousand
  • Garbage collection$143 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$82 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money7.3%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
7.3%$10.2 million

State tax money1.4%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
1.4%$1.9 million

County and local tax money0.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.4%$608 thousand

Fines and other4.9%

Interest, rents and other
3.9%$5.4 million
Fines
1.0%$1.4 million

Where it goes

Running the government and other costs35%Police, fire, courts and jails34%Water, sewer, trash and utilities15%Parks, recreation and libraries7.0%Housing and community development2.5%All other spending7.1%

What stands out

35%

of Clifton's spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 16%.

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
35%$44.8 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$41.8 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$1.6 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
34%$44.0 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$24.3 million
  • Fire protection$16.6 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.7 million
  • Inspections and regulation$1.3 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
15%$19.5 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste and sewer systems
  • Garbage and solid waste$9.8 million
  • Sewer systems$9.7 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
7.0%$9.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$5.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.6 million
Housing and community development
2.5%$3.3 million
Roads, transit and parking
2.5%$3.3 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$3.3 million
Health and hospitals
2.3%$3.0 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$3.0 million
Interest on debt
1.7%$2.2 million
Social services
0.5%$707 thousand
What's in social servicesWelfare institutions and other public welfare
  • Welfare institutions$577 thousand
  • Other public welfare$130 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Clifton. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Clifton itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.