Jersey City vs Kent
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $566,900 in Jersey City and $587,800 in Kent.
- Households earn more in Jersey City ($97,710 vs $92,302 median).
- Kent has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 40°F.
- Jersey City gets far more snow: 32 inches a year vs 6.
- Jersey City has more scorching days: 28 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- Jersey City is growing faster: +3.2% since 2020 vs -0.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Kent (30 vs 37 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; New Jersey's top rate is 10.75%.
Side by side
| Jersey City, NJ | Kent, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 302,013 | 134,871 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.2% | -0.4% |
| People per square mile | 20,478 | 3,986 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 35.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,710 | $92,302 |
| Median home value | $566,900 | $587,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,007 | $1,909 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 28% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 36.8 | 30.4 |
| Work from home | 25% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 36% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.5% | 7% |
| Poverty rate | 15.6% | 10.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 26° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 87° / 69° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 28 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 80 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.2 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +24.6% |
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: Jersey City: April to June and August to October. Kent: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Jersey City weather by month and Kent 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 Jersey City and $83,300 in Kent. Moving from Jersey City to Kent, you would need about $74,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Jersey City and Kent
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Jersey City and Kent.
Which would you pick?
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