Trenton vs Elizabeth
The short version
- Trenton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Elizabeth area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $160,700 in Trenton and $449,300 in Elizabeth.
- Households earn more in Elizabeth ($66,555 vs $52,537 median).
- Elizabeth is growing faster: +3.2% since 2020 vs +0.8%.
Side by side
| Trenton, NJ | Elizabeth, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 91,506 | 141,675 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.8% | +3.2% |
| People per square mile | 12,031 | 11,501 |
| Median age | 34.8 | 35.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16% | 15% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,537 | $66,555 |
| Median home value | $160,700 | $449,300 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 6.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,294 | $1,523 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.2 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 135.1 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,400 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 38% | 26% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.9 | 26.7 |
| Work from home | 7% | 6% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 11% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 10.1% | 7.7% |
| Poverty rate | 21.6% | 15.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 24° | 40° / 26° |
| July high / low | 86° / 67° | 87° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 27 in | 32 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 | 28 |
| Nights below freezing | 97 | 80 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.4 | 95.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.2% | +6.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +64.1% | +53.7% |
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: Trenton: April to October. Elizabeth: April to June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Trenton weather by month and Elizabeth weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,400 in Trenton and $84,400 in Elizabeth. Moving from Trenton to Elizabeth, you would need about $81,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Trenton and Elizabeth
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Trenton and Elizabeth.
Which would you pick?
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