Jersey City, New Jersey
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Jersey City.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Jersey City compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 289,691City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $94,813Incorporated place (ACS)21% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 159ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)59% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $534,500City limits (ACS)76% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,902City limits (ACS)41% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.9%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 38 min52% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 8793% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 522.7annualized per 100k · citywide13% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1903.9annualized per 100k · citywide38% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 83°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 30°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 49.5 in50% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 24010% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Jersey City with another city
Jersey City (pop. 289,691) sits in New Jersey. Households here report a median income near $94,813; our housing-derived cost index is about 159 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $534,500 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Dense suburbs, port logistics, and quick Manhattan access define many towns. Pack for 83°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 30°F. Commutes average near 38 minutes one-way, with walkability near 87/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.9% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 522.7 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Jersey City is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Jersey City with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Jersey City city, 1600000US3436000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN340170000000003 (Hudson County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00094728 NEW YORK CNTRL PK TWR)
Last updated 2026-07-28