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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-LINDEN-NJ · Linden, NJ 43,614 pop · income 72nd 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 Linden
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Linden on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Atlantic City · lowest
36,220
Atlantic City · lowest
36,220 median HH income
34.3% of the leader · rank #1
Linden · this city
91,036
Linden · this city
91,036 median HH income
86.3% of the leader · rank #2
North Palm Be… · near
91,042
North Palm Be… · near
91,042 median HH income
86.3% of the leader · rank #3
Garden Valley · near
91,042
Garden Valley · near
91,042 median HH income
86.3% of the leader · rank #4
Peekskill · near
91,042
Peekskill · near
91,042 median HH income
86.3% of the leader · rank #5
Thatcher · near
91,042
Thatcher · near
91,042 median HH income
86.3% of the leader · rank #6
Fort Lee · highest
105,535
Fort Lee · highest
105,535 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Linden on ACS population and median household income
. 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: 43,614.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Linden places in the 72nd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
72nd
percentile, household income
76th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Linden, NJ
New Jersey's Linden is a small city, with 43,614 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $91,036 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.0%. Typical homes in Linden are valued around $387,200, and the median resident age is 39.8 years. Educational attainment runs 23.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 64.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 72 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 80% from five years earlier.
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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,132 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts New Jersey's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Commute times here average 29.4 minutes, with 69.9% driving alone and 6.2% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. 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 Linden'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 housing and income to schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Linden, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is Linden growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,231 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 72 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Linden?
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 4.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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 10 public schools within the city match. 23.3% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Linden?
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.
Within New Jersey, the closest population matches are Sicklerville (44,500 residents, $102,881 income); Sayreville (45,237 residents, $98,629 income); Hackensack (45,768 residents, $82,212 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Spanish Fork, UT (43,632 residents); Waxahachie, TX (43,591 residents); Pittsfield, MA (43,559 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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Linden?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 29.4 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.
Drive alone
69.9%
Work from home
6.2%
Public transit
7.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 22,198 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 7.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
D
City profile score · Linden, NJ
46/100
4 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
$91,036
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C-
7.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share D
23.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
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.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Linden profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 70/100 (B) · $91,036
Poverty rate: 53/100 (C-) · 7.0%
Bachelor's+ share: 44/100 (D) · 23.3%
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
How does Linden compare to other US cities?
Where Linden sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income72% higher than other cities
Home value76% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Linden 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 Linden near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Linden ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Linden only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#436 of 659
34th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#351 of 672
48th percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#165 of 680
75th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#562 of 686
18th 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
72nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Linden's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$387,20024th percentilemore affordable than 24% 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
Linden's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,402 of 15,516
More affordable than 27% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,183 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.3×, Linden sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,402 of 15,516 and #2,183 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
$91,036Linden, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Linden, 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 Linden, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)23.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)64.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
43,614
Median Income
$91,036
Median Home Value
$387,200
Median Age
39.8
Poverty Rate
7.0%
Labor force participation
64.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
23.3%
Schools
Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Linden's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
43,521 residents
2021
43,677 residents
2022
43,649 residents
2023
44,973 residents
2024
45,734 residents
2025
45,752 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
72
housing units authorized
Single-Family
25
detached homes
Multifamily
47
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
355
31
324
$25.6M
2020
158
25
133
$14.0M
2021
69
47
22
$9.2M
2022
390
48
342
$41.8M
2023
96
41
55
$12.0M
2024
72
25
47
$9.7M
Permit volume decreased 80% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
29.4 minutes
Drive Alone
69.9%
Carpool
12.0%
Public Transit
7.1%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
6.2%
Other
2.4%
Based on 22,198 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 Linden. 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 Linden 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 Linden sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Linden 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, 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.