Paterson vs West Palm Beach
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $360,100 in Paterson and $414,200 in West Palm Beach.
- Households earn more in West Palm Beach ($73,446 vs $55,997 median).
- West Palm Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 75°F vs 40°F.
- Paterson gets far more snow: 30 inches a year vs 0.
- West Palm Beach has more scorching days: 74 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 17.
- West Palm Beach is growing faster: +8.4% since 2020 vs +1.3%.
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; New Jersey's top rate is 10.75%.
Side by side
| Paterson, NJ | West Palm Beach, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 161,793 | 127,189 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.3% | +8.4% |
| People per square mile | 19,231 | 2,361 |
| Median age | 33.3 | 41.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,997 | $73,446 |
| Median home value | $360,100 | $414,200 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,548 | $1,772 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 27% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.6 | 23.4 |
| Work from home | 5% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 10.7% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 21.2% | 14.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 75° / 58° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 90° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 62 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 74 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.8 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +58.7% |
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. West Palm Beach: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Paterson weather by month and West Palm Beach 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 $85,600 in West Palm Beach. Moving from Paterson to West Palm Beach, you would need about $76,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Paterson and West Palm Beach
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 West Palm Beach.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.