Through the sixth grade, Fulop attended Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, an Orthodox Jewish elementary school in Highland Park, New Jersey, though he himself was not observant.

[16][17] Upon graduating from college, Fulop joined Goldman Sachs, the investment banking firm, first working in Chicago and later in downtown Manhattan and Jersey City.

[1] After seeing first hand the effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks, he decided to put his career at Goldman Sachs on hold and join the United States Marine Corps.

[18] Shortly after completion of Marine Corps boot camp, on January 14, 2003, his reserve unit was activated, and Fulop was deployed to Iraq, where he served as part of the 6th Engineer Support Battalion for six months.

The battalion focused on engineering, logistics, water purification, and fuel, part of the support infrastructure that allowed swift movement through Iraq.

The New Jersey Star Ledger highlighted Fulop on several occasions as a result of his choice to leave his financial services job to serve his country.

[19] In early 2006, he left Goldman Sachs to take a position at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.,[20] and also completed his service to the Marine Corps Reserve with a rank of Corporal.

Senator Bob Menendez, who then represented New Jersey's 13th Congressional District; Fulop lost the June 8, 2004 primary election by 74.8 percentage points, 87.4%–12.6%.

However, as noted by The New York Times, the most significant difference between Fulop and every elected official in Jersey City, and most in Hudson County, is that he won the election with no establishment support, beating an incumbent with the backing of Senator Robert Menendez, Mayor Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City, and the Hudson County Democratic organization.

[24] In 2010, he led grassroots and local government efforts to oppose the construction of a gas pipeline through downtown Jersey City.

[26] Fulop then proposed that Jersey City voters have the opportunity to institute new ethics reform measures by voting on two referendums.

By state law, one cannot stop an individual from serving multiple government positions by popular vote, but since state law allows a municipality to hold back a paycheck and benefits if voted on by referendum, it is possible to change the pay structures at the local level to ensure that there is less incentive to collect multiple paychecks and pensions.

[35] With a reputation as a reformer during his tenure as councilman, he ran for mayor on a platform that promised to transform local government, make the city safer for residents, expand programs and services, and stabilize taxes.

He also set out to make Jersey City the destination of choice, in lieu of the suburbs, for the young urbanites and new families moving from Manhattan.

[49] Fulop launched a branding campaign with the goal of making Jersey City a premier destination for work and play.

[54] In September 2013 (within three months of assuming office), Fulop signed a bill requiring paid sick leave for employees in Jersey City.

[57] Jersey City recently launched United Rescue, an emergency medical first-responder program that leverages citizen volunteers and GPS mobile app-based technology to reduce emergency response times for ambulatory calls, and is expected to make Jersey City EMS response time the fastest in the country.

[65] On March 16, 2020, Fulop issued an order requiring that the Jersey City Newport Centre and Hudson Mall shopping centers be closed for an indeterminate period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[73] Polish media claimed that the removal plans were revenge for the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance that criminalized blaming Poland for Holocaust atrocities.

[75] The issue was resolved on December 20, 2018, when the nine-member Jersey City Council voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance that the monument remain where it stands in Exchange Place "in perpetuity".

[76] Beginning in 2019, Fulop's mayoral campaign received several large donations from Australian property investment firm Dixon Advisory.

[77][78] Dixon Advisory subsequently went bankrupt with the firm's clients – largely middle class, Australian pensioners – recovering less than five cents on the dollar of their investments.

[83] In January 2021, the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority enacted a fee of $1.92 per 100 cubic feet of water to go towards the city's $15.1 million garbage and recycling contract with Elizabeth-based Regional Industries, Inc.[84] The fee, while covering solid waste pickup, was to be calculated based on each home and businesses' water usage, with the goal of including tax-abated properties in those to receive bills.

In a press release, he also said "Residents have explained to us that they are being way overcharged on what was supposed to be a nominal fee for their waste collection after these services were acquired by the (Municipal Utilities Authority).

The plan included: praise for Manhattan's congestion pricing program and an intention to, "...[apply] the same sort of taxation on New York drivers coming in and dedicate those dollars towards...Port Authority, specifically the PATH system"; financial support for NJ Transit in order to, "[expand] service and [fix] up stations," such as dedicating funding from, "...reinstating the corporate business tax, which could generate an estimated $1 billion in revenue," to the agency; a proposal for, "...mov[ing] the PATH train system to NJ Transit from the Port Authority, which has unique jurisdiction [between New York and New Jersey]," to counter what Fulop assessed as, "...Port Authority [not] treat[ing] the PATH system as a priority"; introducing, "A ride-sharing service, called VIA, [which] was launched in Jersey City [in 2020] to help those in transit deserts get short distances to public transportation...in the 10 densest cities in the state"; limiting in-person transactions at MVC locations to a duration of 30 minutes as well as, "Expanding the number of MVC transactions that can be done online"; and, in general, a focus on, "...prioritizing rail over road expansion".

[93] Steven is an avid endurance athlete completing several marathons as well as a full Ironman Championship in 2012 finishing in a time of 11 hours and 58 minutes.

[22][94][95] He has served on the boards of the Columbia University Alumni Association[96] and the Learning Community Charter School in Jersey City.