Jersey City 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 $566,900 in Jersey City.
- Households earn more in Jersey City ($97,710 vs $55,997 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Paterson (23 vs 37 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Jersey City, NJ | Paterson, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 302,013 | 161,793 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.2% | +1.3% |
| People per square mile | 20,478 | 19,231 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 33.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55% | 12% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,710 | $55,997 |
| Median home value | $566,900 | $360,100 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,007 | $1,548 |
| 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 | 28% | 27% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 36.8 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 25% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 36% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.5% | 10.7% |
| Poverty rate | 15.6% | 21.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 26° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 87° / 69° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 28 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 80 | 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) | 97.2 | 95.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +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: Jersey City: April to June and August to October. Paterson: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Jersey City 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 $84,400 in Jersey City and $84,400 in Paterson. Moving from Jersey City to Paterson, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Jersey City 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 Jersey City and Paterson.
Which would you pick?
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