TRENTON — Every year, municipalities receive more than a billion dollars in state aid — not including aid for school districts, which is even more.

New Jersey 101.5 reviewed the latest state aid numbers, finding that half of all state aid goes to municipalities where just 25 percent of the state's population lives.

While many of the municipalities that receive the most money also have considerable poverty and many affluent communities receive the least, there are exceptions on both ends.

The town that received the most money per resident might be a location you never heard of: Lower Alloways Creek.

Lower Alloways Creek
loading...

With a population of 1,770, the $7.2 million in aid the town receives comes out to more than $4,000 per resident. Camden is at a very distant second at $1,307 per resident. Scroll down to see the Top 20 and Bottom 20 lists and map.

The bulk of the money comes due to the fact that the town has three nuclear power plants in its borders, which officials say has been a longstanding benefit for its coffers but a concern for its future.

Municipal Clerk Ron Campbell said there has been a formula in place for decades dictating how much money the town gets for being the base of power generation for much of the state.

The average property tax bill here last year, including school taxes, was $2,086.

Most state aid is based on two formulas: Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid and Energy Tax Receipts. The Energy Tax Receipts are taxes on utility properties and equipment in each municipality as well as taxes paid by utility customers. Those funds used to be paid directly to municipalities until the state government took over collection. Since Gov. Jon Corzine's administration, the state has kept a cut of the receipts to balance its own budget.

"The residents get a lot of services," Campbell said. "Just about any service any municipality provides, we provide."

Mayor Ellen Pommper said some of the money the town gets from the state for the power plants also goes to Salem County.

The town has actually seen its funding from the state cut drastically since the nuclear facilities first opened and knows that the future of nuclear energy in the state is very much in question, the mayor said. With many residents also serving as employees of the plants, she said there are other concerns beyond the state funding.

"We save money and we try to live as carefully as we can to continue to live that way," she said.

Most state aid per resident

1. LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK — Salem County
Population: 1,770 / Median household income: $73,375
2018 state aid: $7,231,202
Aid per resident: $4,085

2. CAMDEN — Camden County
Population: 77,344 / Median household income: $26,214
2018 state aid: $101,086,963
Aid per resident: $1,307

3. WASHINGTON — Burlington County
Population: 687 / Median household income: $65,375
2018 state aid: $817,007
Aid per resident: $1,189

4. ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic County
Population: 39,558 / Median household income: $26,566
2018 state aid: $41,260,714
Aid per resident: $1,043

5. HARRISON — Hudson County
Population: 13,620 / Median household income: $58,047
2018 state aid: $11,483,665
Aid per resident: $843

6. ASBURY PARK — Monmouth County
Population: 16,116 / Median household income: $36,512
2018 state aid: $13,492,844
Aid per resident: $837

7. BRANCHVILLE — Sussex County
Population: 841 / Median household income: $59,375
2018 state aid: $676,847
Aid per resident: $805

8. HAMILTON — Mercer County
Population: 26,503 / Median household income: $71,276
2018 state aid: $19,166,830
Aid per resident: $723

9. TRENTON — Mercer County
Population: 84,913 / Median household income: $34,412
2018 state aid: $58,964,560
Aid per resident: $694

10. DEAL — Monmouth County
Population: 750 / Median household income: $72,813
2018 state aid: $455,315
Aid per resident: $607

11. BURLINGTON CITY — Burlington County
Population: 9,920 / Median household income: $52,537
2018 state aid: $5,413,180
Aid per resident: $546

12. WRIGHTSTOWN — Burlington County
Population: 802 / Median household income: $46,818
2018 state aid: $412,067
Aid per resident: $514

13. HOLLAND — Hunterdon County
Population: 5,291 / Median household income: $87,750
2018 state aid: $2,710,935
Aid per resident: $512

14. UPPER TWP — Cape May County
Population: 12,373 / Median household income: $79,672
2018 state aid: $6,323,653
Aid per resident: $511

15. CHESILHURST — Camden County
Population: 1,634 / Median household income: $52,159
2018 state aid: $826,340
Aid per resident: $506

16. RIDGEFIELD — Bergen County
Population: 11,032 / Median household income: $70,461
2018 state aid: $5,498,350
Aid per resident: $498

17. MANTOLOKING — Ocean County
Population: 296 / Median household income: $118,750
2018 state aid: $147,440
Aid per resident: $498

18. BLAIRSTOWN — Warren County
Population: 5,967 / Median household income: $86,513
2018 state aid: $2,945,390
Aid per resident: $494

19. LINDEN — Union County
Population: 40,499 / Median household income: $64,471
2018 state aid: $19,909,229
Aid per resident: $492

20. MEDFORD — Burlington County
Population: 4,146 / Median household income: $114,500
2018 state aid: $1,991,135
Aid per resident: $480

On the other end of the spectrum, Medford Lakes, with a population of 23,033, received just $289,600 in state aid, for an average of $13 per resident. The average property tax bill last year was $8,846.

Borough Manager Robert Burton said that while the municipality may not get as much aid as other towns, they have learned to make the most of it.

Burton called the town a "model for small boroughs and townships around the state," saying they put a specific focus on using shared services where it makes sense.

"We're one of the models people can point to of how good government works in the age of consolidation," he said. "We've learned how to do more with less and learn how to do something with nothing."

Medford Lakes is one of the "doughnut hole" municipalities in the state, surrounded by the larger Medford. Burton said that while the residents of his town would not be open to becoming part of the larger town, they do share services with Medford and Shamong.

"We manage our money and the way we do things here, we're under the impression that what we're getting what we're going to get," he said.

Least state aid per resident

1. MEDFORD LAKES — Burlington County
Population: 23,033 / Median household income: $106,741
2018 state aid: $289,600
Aid per resident: $13

2. HAMILTON — Atlantic County
Population: 88,464 / Median household income: $64,320
2018 state aid: $2,841,043
Aid per resident: $32

3. SOUTH HARRISON — Gloucester County
Population: 3,162 / Median household income: $117,027
2018 state aid: $129,958
Aid per resident: $41

4. WOOLWICH — Gloucester County
Population: 10,200 / Median household income: $121,404
2018 state aid: $420,748
Aid per resident: $41

5. HARRISON — Gloucester County
Population: 12,417 / Median household income: $126,729
2018 state aid: $542,592
Aid per resident: $44

6. PARK RIDGE — Bergen County
Population: 8,645 / Median household income: $103,700
2018 state aid: $384,196
Aid per resident: $44

7. CLIFFSIDE PARK — Bergen County
Population: 23,594 / Median household income: $60,616
2018 state aid: $1,127,087
Aid per resident: $48

8. PALISADES PARK — Bergen County
Population: 19,622 / Median household income: $63,266
2018 state aid: $948,990
Aid per resident: $48

9. VICTORY GARDENS — Morris County
Population: 1,520 / Median household income: $40,700
2018 state aid: $73,706
Aid per resident: $48

10. BARNEGAT — Ocean County
Population: 20,936 / Median household income: $64,637
2018 state aid: $1,048,932
Aid per resident: $50

11. FORT LEE — Bergen County
Population: 35,345 / Median household income: $75,449
2018 state aid: $1,771,192
Aid per resident: $50

12. MADISON — Morris County
Population: 15,845 / Median household income: $120,608
2018 state aid: $808,529
Aid per resident: $51

13. SOUTH RIVER — Middlesex County
Population: 16,008 / Median household income: $65,254
2018 state aid: $825,291
Aid per resident: $52

14. GLEN RIDGE — Essex County
Population: 7,527 / Median household income: $170,839
2018 state aid: $399,541
Aid per resident: $53

15. INDEPENDENCE — Warren County
Population: 5,662 / Median household income: $89,342
2018 state aid: $301,116
Aid per resident: $53

16. PLUMSTED — Ocean County
Population: 8,421 / Median household income: $87,092
2018 state aid: $452,322
Aid per resident: $54

17. GREENWICH — Warren County
Population: 5,712 / Median household income: $109,674
2018 state aid: $315,438
Aid per resident: $55

18. LAKEWOOD — Ocean County
Population: 92,843 / Median household income: $42,993
2018 state aid: $5,157,607
Aid per resident: $56

19. SEASIDE HEIGHTS — Ocean County
Population: 2,887 / Median household income: $38,242
2018 state aid: $160,582
Aid per resident: $56

20. MILLTOWN BORO — Middlesex County
Population: 6,893 / Median household income: $106,500
2018 state aid: $387,169
Aid per resident: $56

State aid by municipality

Click on a municipality to see the municipal state aid for 2018, how much it works out per resident as well as the town's median household income for comparison. Darker green = more per person. This does not include school aid, which you can read about here.

More From New Jersey 101.5

 

 

 

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM