Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-EAST-ORANGE-NJ · East Orange, NJ 69,183 pop · income 35th 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 East Orange
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest East Orange on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Gary · lowest
37,380
Gary · lowest
37,380 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #1
East Orange · this city
59,872
East Orange · this city
59,872 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #2
Tennyson · near
59,872
Tennyson · near
59,872 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #3
New Plymouth · near
59,875
New Plymouth · near
59,875 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #4
Grandview · near
59,875
Grandview · near
59,875 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #5
Mountain · near
59,881
Mountain · near
59,881 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #6
Walnut Creek · highest
135,665
Walnut Creek · highest
135,665 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 East Orange 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: 69,183.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
East Orange - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, East Orange places in the 35th percentile for household income and the 23rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
35th
percentile, household income
67th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
23rd
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: East Orange, NJ
69,183 people live in East Orange, New Jersey - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. East Orange households earn a median of $59,872 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.8%. Typical homes in East Orange are valued around $315,500, and the median resident age is 37.0 years. About 22.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 134 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 72% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2438.9 in FBI UCR data, near 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: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts New Jersey at 108.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,132 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across New Jersey, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for East Orange workers runs 32.6 minutes, with 56.6% driving alone and 8.1% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 90.8 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of East Orange'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 schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to reported crime to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For East Orange, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits.
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.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for East Orange?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 22.9% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for East Orange?
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 Passaic (69,651 residents, $56,780 income); Lakewood (69,884 residents, $57,576 income); Bayonne (70,468 residents, $81,285 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Gaithersburg, MD (69,225 residents); Eau Claire, WI (69,274 residents); San Marcos, TX (68,920 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.
What does the journey to work look like in East Orange?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 56.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 32.6 minutes.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in East Orange?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2438.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 7% higher 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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in East Orange?
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 5.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.3×
Home value
$315,500
Household income
$59,872
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is East Orange growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,731 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 134 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
69,428
2025 estimate
72,159
Period change
+3.9%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 13.8% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
F
City profile score · East Orange, NJ
25/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share D
22.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$59,872
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
486 /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.
East Orange profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 43/100 (D) · 22.9%
Household income: 34/100 (F) · $59,872
Poverty rate: 25/100 (F) · 13.8%
Violent crime: 17/100 (F) · 486 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where East Orange sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
East Orange'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 - East Orange highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
East Orange, NJ (this city): home $315,500, crime 2,439/100k
Gaithersburg, MD : home $484,500, crime 1,565/100k
Eau Claire, WI : home $228,000, crime 2,068/100k
San Marcos, TX : home $269,700, crime 2,617/100k
Yuba City, CA : home $405,900, crime 2,082/100k
Walnut Creek, CA : home $1,031,100, crime 3,178/100k
Passaic, NJ : home $406,500, crime 2,557/100k
Vineland, NJ : home $218,200, crime 3,123/100k
How does East Orange compare to other US cities?
East Orange measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income35% higher than other cities
Home value67% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety23% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at New Jersey, East Orange ranks #203 of 238 New Jersey cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares East Orange 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 East Orange near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, East Orange ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares East Orange only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#611 of 659
7th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#467 of 672
31st percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#54 of 680
92nd percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#569 of 686
17th 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
35th percentile nationally for median household income · 23rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
East Orange's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
East Orange'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 East Orange's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$315,50033rd percentilemore affordable than 33% 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
East Orange's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,277 of 15,516
More affordable than 14% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#485 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 5.3×, East Orange sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,277 of 15,516 and #485 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
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
$59,872East Orange, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context East Orange, 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 East Orange, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)22.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
69,183
Median Income
$59,872
Median Home Value
$315,500
Median Age
37.0
Poverty Rate
13.8%
Labor force participation
59.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2438.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
486.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1952.5
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
22
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
East Orange's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
69,428 residents
2021
68,961 residents
2022
69,250 residents
2023
70,822 residents
2024
72,101 residents
2025
72,159 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
134
housing units authorized
Single-Family
10
detached homes
Multifamily
124
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
484
9
475
$41.5M
2020
252
15
237
$16.2M
2021
246
27
219
$40.4M
2022
207
8
199
$12.9M
2023
555
19
536
$80.3M
2024
134
10
124
$18.7M
Permit volume decreased 72% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
32.6 minutes
Drive Alone
56.6%
Carpool
5.6%
Public Transit
20.0%
Walk
4.0%
Work from Home
8.1%
Other
5.7%
Based on 31,736 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 East Orange. 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 East Orange 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 East Orange sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How East Orange 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.