Newark vs Trenton
The short version
- Trenton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Newark area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $160,700 in Trenton and $373,700 in Newark.
- Newark is growing faster: +4% since 2020 vs +0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Trenton (27 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Newark, NJ | Trenton, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 323,808 | 91,506 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4% | +0.8% |
| People per square mile | 13,412 | 12,031 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 34.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20% | 16% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,060 | $52,537 |
| Median home value | $373,700 | $160,700 |
| Home value to income | 7.2× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,392 | $1,294 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 103.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 135.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $77,400 |
| Homeowners | 24% | 38% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 32.6 | 26.9 |
| Work from home | 7% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 19% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 11.6% | 10.1% |
| Poverty rate | 23.4% | 21.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 26° | 40° / 24° |
| July high / low | 87° / 69° | 86° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 27 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 28 | 22 |
| Nights below freezing | 80 | 97 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 95.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.3% | +5.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.7% | +64.1% |
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: Newark: April to June and August to October. Trenton: April to October.
Full monthly tables: Newark weather by month and Trenton 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 Newark and $77,400 in Trenton. Moving from Newark to Trenton, you would need about $68,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Newark and Trenton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Newark and Trenton.
Which would you pick?
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