Charlottesville vs Paterson
The short version
- Charlottesville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Paterson area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $360,100 in Paterson and $486,700 in Charlottesville.
- Households earn more in Charlottesville ($74,824 vs $55,997 median).
- Charlottesville has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 40°F.
- Paterson gets far more snow: 30 inches a year vs 17.
- Paterson is growing faster: +1.3% since 2020 vs -4.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Charlottesville (17 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Charlottesville, VA | Paterson, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 44,388 | 161,793 |
| Growth since 2020 | -4.6% | +1.3% |
| People per square mile | 4,333 | 19,231 |
| Median age | 33.1 | 33.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 63% | 12% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $74,824 | $55,997 |
| Median home value | $486,700 | $360,100 |
| Home value to income | 6.5× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,540 | $1,548 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 99.1 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 107.0 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $74,400 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 44% | 27% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.0 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 21% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 10.7% |
| Poverty rate | 19.6% | 21.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 28° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 84° / 68° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 17 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 10 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 73 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 24.3 | 95.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 81% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +3% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +46.9% | +45.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Charlottesville: April, June, August and October. Paterson: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Charlottesville weather by month and Paterson weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $74,400 in Charlottesville and $84,400 in Paterson. Moving from Charlottesville to Paterson, you would need about $85,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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