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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-CARTERET-NJ · Carteret, NJ 25,187 pop · income 69th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Carteret
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Carteret on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Barstow · lowest
51,811
Barstow · lowest
51,811 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #1
Lake Wildwood · near
87,552
Lake Wildwood · near
87,552 median HH income
40.3% of the leader · rank #2
Carteret · this city
87,553
Carteret · this city
87,553 median HH income
40.3% of the leader · rank #3
Sioux Center · near
87,555
Sioux Center · near
87,555 median HH income
40.3% of the leader · rank #4
St. George · near
87,557
St. George · near
87,557 median HH income
40.3% of the leader · rank #5
Town and Coun… · near
87,561
Town and Coun… · near
87,561 median HH income
40.3% of the leader · rank #6
Ridgewood · highest
217,250
Ridgewood · highest
217,250 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Carteret on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 25,187.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Carteret - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Carteret lands in the 69th percentile for household income and the 44th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
69th
percentile, household income
74th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
44th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Carteret, NJ
Carteret is a small city in New Jersey, home to 25,187 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Carteret report a median income of $87,553 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.1%. Typical homes in Carteret are valued around $370,200, and the median resident age is 39.3 years. About 27.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 58.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 45 residential building permits were authorized in Carteret (Building Boom), up 309% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Carteret reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1575.9 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
New Jersey carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, New Jersey scores 108.8 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,132 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across New Jersey, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 90.8 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Carteret's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Carteret, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Carteret?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1575.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 31% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Which cities make useful reference points for Carteret?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within New Jersey, the closest population matches are Cliffside Park (25,580 residents, $94,960 income); Lodi (25,946 residents, $84,570 income); Ridgewood (26,076 residents, $217,250 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Barstow, CA (25,198 residents); Dinuba, CA (25,201 residents); North Laurel, MD (25,201 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
How far does income reach against housing in Carteret?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 27.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Carteret?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 68.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
68.3%
Work from home
9.2%
Public transit
7.8%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 11,668 workers age 16+.
Is Carteret growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +485 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 45 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
25,296
2025 estimate
25,781
Period change
+1.9%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 8.1% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
D
City profile score · Carteret, NJ
42/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income B-
$87,553
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C-
27.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate D
8.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
314 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
108.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Carteret profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 67/100 (B-) · $87,553
Bachelor's+ share: 54/100 (C-) · 27.7%
Poverty rate: 47/100 (D) · 8.1%
Violent crime: 31/100 (F) · 314 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Carteret sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Carteret's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Carteret highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Carteret, NJ (this city): home $370,200, crime 1,576/100k
Barstow, CA : home $222,600, crime 3,747/100k
Dinuba, CA : home $267,300, crime 2,768/100k
Walker, MI : home $266,400, crime 2,667/100k
Norco, CA : home $731,900, crime 2,688/100k
Cliffside Park, NJ : home $577,200, crime 770/100k
Lodi, NJ : home $449,200, crime 1,510/100k
Ridgewood, NJ : home $882,700, crime 629/100k
South Plainfield, NJ : home $443,900, crime 2,048/100k
Paramus, NJ : home $736,000, crime 4,928/100k
How does Carteret compare to other US cities?
Where Carteret sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income69% higher than other cities
Home value74% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety44% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just New Jersey and the picture shifts: Carteret ranks #164 of 238 New Jersey cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Carteret against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to New Jersey only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
New Jersey-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Carteret near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Carteret ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Carteret only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#460 of 659
30th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#380 of 672
43rd percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#136 of 680
80th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#509 of 686
26th percentile in New Jersey
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within New Jersey only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
69th percentile nationally for median household income · 44th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Carteret's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Carteret's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Carteret's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$370,20026th percentilemore affordable than 26% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Carteret's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,314 of 15,516
More affordable than 27% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,159 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.2×, Carteret sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,314 of 15,516 and #2,159 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$87,553Carteret, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Carteret, NJ median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Carteret, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)27.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
25,187
Median Income
$87,553
Median Home Value
$370,200
Median Age
39.3
Poverty Rate
8.1%
Labor force participation
58.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1575.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
313.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1262.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Carteret's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
25,296 residents
2021
25,222 residents
2022
25,219 residents
2023
25,563 residents
2024
25,746 residents
2025
25,781 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
45
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
42
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
11
5
6
$1.3M
2020
8
4
4
$1.0M
2021
19
5
14
$2.1M
2022
67
7
60
$5.1M
2023
45
5
40
$3.7M
2024
45
3
42
$3.4M
Permit volume increased 309% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
68.3%
Carpool
9.9%
Public Transit
7.8%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
9.2%
Other
2.4%
Based on 11,668 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
New Jersey statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across New Jersey at $275 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $60 ).
These are New Jersey statewide averages, not a meter reading for Carteret. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
New Jersey's BEA cost-of-living index is 108.8 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Carteret is $2,132/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to New Jersey statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 90.8 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a New Jersey statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Carteret sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Carteret compares to similar-size New Jersey cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.