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-NEW-BRUNSWICK-NJ · New Brunswick, NJ 55,744 pop · income 36th pct · 192 tracts
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 New Brunswick
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest New Brunswick on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Port Arthur · lowest
45,752
Port Arthur · lowest
45,752 median HH income
25.9% of the leader · rank #1
New Brunswick · this city
60,248
New Brunswick · this city
60,248 median HH income
34.0% of the leader · rank #2
Empire · near
60,250
Empire · near
60,250 median HH income
34.1% of the leader · rank #3
New Troy · near
60,250
New Troy · near
60,250 median HH income
34.1% of the leader · rank #4
Tarkio · near
60,250
Tarkio · near
60,250 median HH income
34.1% of the leader · rank #5
Whiteman AFB · near
60,250
Whiteman AFB · near
60,250 median HH income
34.1% of the leader · rank #6
Hoboken · highest
176,943
Hoboken · highest
176,943 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 New Brunswick 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: 55,744.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
New Brunswick - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, New Brunswick places in the 36th percentile for household income and the 12th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
36th
percentile, household income
67th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
12th
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: New Brunswick, NJ
55,744 people live in New Brunswick, New Jersey - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. New Brunswick households earn a median of $60,248 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 25.4%. Typical homes in New Brunswick are valued around $316,800, and the median resident age is 24.5 years. 24.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 59.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 43 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 83% from five years earlier. New Brunswick's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 3325.2 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 53.7°F with 49.5 inches of precipitation per year and 29.0 inches of snowfall.
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 New Brunswick'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 reported crime to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to housing and income to within-city variation to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For New Brunswick, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for New Brunswick?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 24.0% 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.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in New Brunswick?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3325.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 46% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What can 192 Census tracts reveal inside New Brunswick?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 192 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for New Brunswick?
Within New Jersey, the closest population matches are Perth Amboy (55,278 residents, $58,490 income); Plainfield (54,515 residents, $80,334 income); Hoboken (58,340 residents, $176,943 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Port Arthur, TX (55,779 residents); Apple Valley, MN (55,696 residents); Kingsport, TN (55,807 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.
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.
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.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in New Brunswick?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 53.7°F, with 49.5 inches of precipitation and 29.0 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for New Jersey is 90.8 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
53.7°F
Annual precipitation
49.5 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
90.8
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in New Brunswick?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 41.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
4.6%
Work from home
10.2%
Drive alone
41.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 25,681 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in New Brunswick?
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 25.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$60,248
Home value
$316,800
Value / income
5.3×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is New Brunswick growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,842 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 43 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+3.3%
2025 estimate
57,133
2020 estimate
55,291
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 25.4% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
F
City profile score · New Brunswick, NJ
20/100
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
24.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$60,248
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); 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.
Poverty rate F
25.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
699 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
New Brunswick profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 46/100 (D) · 24.0%
Household income: 35/100 (F) · $60,248
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Poverty rate: 6/100 (F) · 25.4%
Violent crime: 6/100 (F) · 699 /100k
Where New Brunswick sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
New Brunswick'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 - New Brunswick highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
New Brunswick, NJ (this city): home $316,800, crime 3,325/100k
Port Arthur, TX : home $96,900, crime 2,258/100k
Apple Valley, MN : home $354,200, crime 1,883/100k
Kingsport, TN : home $203,000, crime 3,401/100k
Mount Prospect, IL : home $377,000, crime 977/100k
Berwyn, IL : home $286,000, crime 1,252/100k
DeSoto, TX : home $282,600, crime 1,969/100k
Perth Amboy, NJ : home $339,200, crime 1,760/100k
Plainfield, NJ : home $383,300, crime 2,021/100k
Hoboken, NJ : home $872,100, crime 1,972/100k
West New York, NJ : home $410,200, crime 1,760/100k
Vineland, NJ : home $218,200, crime 3,123/100k
Hackensack, NJ : home $370,300, crime 2,271/100k
How does New Brunswick compare to other US cities?
Here's how New Brunswick stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income36% higher than other cities
Home value67% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety12% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to New Jersey alone, New Brunswick ranks #220 of 238 New Jersey cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares New Brunswick 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 New Brunswick near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, New Brunswick ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares New Brunswick only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#609 of 659
8th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#465 of 672
31st percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#16 of 680
98th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#553 of 686
19th 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
36th percentile nationally for median household income · 12th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
New Brunswick's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
New Brunswick'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 New Brunswick's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$316,80033rd 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
New Brunswick's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,260 of 15,516
More affordable than 15% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#482 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 5.3×, New Brunswick sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,260 of 15,516 and #482 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
$60,248New Brunswick, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context New Brunswick, 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 New Brunswick, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)24.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)25.4%
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
55,744
Median Income
$60,248
Median Home Value
$316,800
Median Age
24.5
Poverty Rate
25.4%
Labor force participation
59.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3325.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
698.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2626.7
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
53.7°F
Annual Precipitation
49.5"
Annual Snowfall
29.0"
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
New Brunswick's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
55,291 residents
2021
56,274 residents
2022
56,048 residents
2023
56,407 residents
2024
57,001 residents
2025
57,133 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
43
housing units authorized
Single-Family
31
detached homes
Multifamily
12
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
258
3
255
$46.8M
2020
209
3
206
$36.5M
2021
169
3
166
$29.8M
2022
52
14
38
$42.7M
2023
55
44
11
$13.3M
2024
43
31
12
$13.8M
Permit volume decreased 83% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
41.7%
Carpool
13.7%
Public Transit
4.6%
Walk
14.1%
Work from Home
10.2%
Other
15.7%
Based on 25,681 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 New Brunswick. 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 New Brunswick 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 New Brunswick sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How New Brunswick 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.