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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-LAVALLETTE-NJ · Lavallette, NJ 1,836 pop · income 88th 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 Lavallette
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lavallette on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Collinsville · lowest
31,411
Collinsville · lowest
31,411 median HH income
14.3% of the leader · rank #1
Madison · near
120,918
Madison · near
120,918 median HH income
55.1% of the leader · rank #2
Poquoson · near
120,919
Poquoson · near
120,919 median HH income
55.1% of the leader · rank #3
Lavallette · this city
120,938
Lavallette · this city
120,938 median HH income
55.1% of the leader · rank #4
Coyne Center · near
120,938
Coyne Center · near
120,938 median HH income
55.1% of the leader · rank #5
Coahoma · near
120,938
Coahoma · near
120,938 median HH income
55.1% of the leader · rank #6
Princeton Jun… · highest
219,375
Princeton Jun… · highest
219,375 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 Lavallette 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: 1,836.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Lavallette - the verdict
Lavallette ranks in the 88th percentile for household income and the 75th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
88th
percentile, household income
97th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
75th
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: Lavallette, NJ
New Jersey's Lavallette is a small town, with 1,836 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Lavallette report a median income of $120,938 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 1.3%. Home values in Lavallette run a median of $1,045,200, and the median resident age is 61.4 years. About 56.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 49.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 26 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Slowing), down 10% from five years earlier. Lavallette reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 734.9 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: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts New Jersey at 108.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,132 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in New Jersey run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. 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 Lavallette'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 population change to schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist to reported crime to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Lavallette, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history.
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
Is Lavallette growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +73 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 26 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.
What does the education layer cover for Lavallette?
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. 56.3% 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Lavallette?
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 8.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Lavallette?
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 Princeton Junction (1,842 residents, $219,375 income); Brass Castle (1,844 residents, $144,865 income); Hopewell (1,828 residents, $142,396 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Malvern, AL (1,836 residents); Casa Loma, CA (1,836 residents); Parma, ID (1,836 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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Lavallette?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 734.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 68% 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.
Total reported rate
734.9
Violent rate
157.5
Property rate
577.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Lavallette?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.3%. 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. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
76.3%
Work from home
17.7%
Public transit
1.8%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 775 workers age 16+.
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.
Poverty rate A+
1.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A
56.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income A
$120,938
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime C
158 /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.
Lavallette profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 91/100 (A+) · 1.3%
Bachelor's+ share: 89/100 (A) · 56.3%
Household income: 86/100 (A) · $120,938
Violent crime: 57/100 (C) · 158 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Lavallette sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Lavallette'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 - Lavallette highlighted among 23 peers.Read the chart values
Lavallette, NJ (this city): home $1,045,200, crime 735/100k
Parma, ID : home $232,400, crime 692/100k
Seaside Park, NJ : home $873,700, crime 396/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Lavallette compare to other US cities?
Where Lavallette sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income88% higher than other cities
Home value97% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety75% 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: Lavallette ranks #84 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 Lavallette 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 Lavallette near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lavallette ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lavallette only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#234 of 659
64th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#26 of 672
96th percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#480 of 680
28th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#202 of 686
71st 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
88th percentile nationally for median household income · 75th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Lavallette's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Lavallette'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 Lavallette's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,045,2003rd percentilemore affordable than 3% 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
Lavallette's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,188 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,128 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 8.6×, Lavallette sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,188 of 15,516 and #11,128 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$120,938Lavallette, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Lavallette, 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 Lavallette, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)56.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)49.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,836
Median Income
$120,938
Median Home Value
$1,045,200
Median Age
61.4
Poverty Rate
1.3%
Labor force participation
49.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
56.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
734.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
157.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
577.4
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
Lavallette's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,796 residents
2021
1,825 residents
2022
1,840 residents
2023
1,849 residents
2024
1,859 residents
2025
1,869 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
26
housing units authorized
Single-Family
26
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
14.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
29
29
0
$9.2M
2020
23
23
0
$8.4M
2021
36
36
0
$13.7M
2022
37
37
0
$14.9M
2023
27
27
0
$12.6M
2024
26
26
0
$10.9M
Permit volume decreased 10% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.3%
Carpool
0.8%
Public Transit
1.8%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
17.7%
Other
0.7%
Based on 775 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 Lavallette. 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 Lavallette 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 Lavallette sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Lavallette 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.