Clifton vs Newark
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $373,700 in Newark and $461,900 in Clifton.
- Households earn more in Clifton ($98,237 vs $52,060 median).
- Newark is growing faster: +4% since 2020 vs +1.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Clifton (28 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Clifton, NJ | Newark, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 91,127 | 323,808 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.4% | +4% |
| People per square mile | 8,082 | 13,412 |
| Median age | 41.6 | 34.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 20% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $98,237 | $52,060 |
| Median home value | $461,900 | $373,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,711 | $1,392 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 60% | 24% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 28.3 | 32.6 |
| Work from home | 13% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 9% | 19% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.1% | 11.6% |
| Poverty rate | 7.9% | 23.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 40° / 26° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 87° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 32 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 28 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 80 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.8 | 97.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +6.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +53.7% |
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: Clifton: May and September to October. Newark: April to June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Clifton weather by month and Newark weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in Clifton and $84,400 in Newark. Moving from Clifton to Newark, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Clifton and Newark
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Clifton and Newark.
Which would you pick?
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