Fort Lauderdale vs Paterson
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $360,100 in Paterson and $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Households earn more in Fort Lauderdale ($83,130 vs $55,997 median).
- Fort Lauderdale has the warmer winter: January highs of 76°F vs 40°F.
- Paterson gets far more snow: 30 inches a year vs 0.
- Fort Lauderdale has more scorching days: 68 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 17.
- Commutes are shorter in Paterson (23 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; New Jersey's top rate is 10.75%.
Side by side
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Paterson, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 188,677 | 161,793 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.3% | +1.3% |
| People per square mile | 5,456 | 19,231 |
| Median age | 42.8 | 33.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 12% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $83,130 | $55,997 |
| Median home value | $486,700 | $360,100 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,854 | $1,548 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 114.2 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 155.6 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,600 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 27% |
| Top state income tax | None | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 19% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 10.7% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 21.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 76° / 61° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 90° / 78° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 61 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 68 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.5 | 95.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 53% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.8% | +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: Fort Lauderdale: November to April. Paterson: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Fort Lauderdale 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 $85,600 in Fort Lauderdale and $84,400 in Paterson. Moving from Fort Lauderdale to Paterson, you would need about $74,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Lauderdale and Paterson
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fort Lauderdale and Paterson.
Which would you pick?
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