Paterson vs Scranton
The short version
- Scranton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 17% lower than in the Paterson area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $158,100 in Scranton and $360,100 in Paterson.
- Households earn more in Paterson ($55,997 vs $50,739 median).
- Scranton gets far more snow: 45 inches a year vs 30.
- Paterson is growing faster: +1.3% since 2020 vs -1.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Scranton (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Paterson, NJ | Scranton, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 161,793 | 75,514 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.3% | -1.1% |
| People per square mile | 19,231 | 2,984 |
| Median age | 33.3 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12% | 23% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,997 | $50,739 |
| Median home value | $360,100 | $158,100 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,548 | $1,048 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 93.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 67.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $70,200 |
| Homeowners | 27% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 3.07% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.34% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.6 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 5% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 10.7% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 21.2% | 23% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 36° / 20° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 45 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 12 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 122 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.8 | 89.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +7.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +56.7% |
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: Paterson: May and September to October. Scranton: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Paterson weather by month and Scranton 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 Paterson and $70,200 in Scranton. Moving from Paterson to Scranton, you would need about $62,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Paterson and Scranton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Paterson and Scranton.
Which would you pick?
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