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-RAHWAY-NJ · Rahway, NJ 29,748 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 Rahway
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Rahway on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Galesburg · lowest
45,213
Galesburg · lowest
45,213 median HH income
19.4% of the leader · rank #1
Hegins · near
90,829
Hegins · near
90,829 median HH income
38.9% of the leader · rank #2
Fort Myers Be… · near
90,833
Fort Myers Be… · near
90,833 median HH income
38.9% of the leader · rank #3
Topsail Beach · near
90,833
Topsail Beach · near
90,833 median HH income
38.9% of the leader · rank #4
Rahway · this city
90,852
Rahway · this city
90,852 median HH income
38.9% of the leader · rank #5
El Duende · near
90,859
El Duende · near
90,859 median HH income
38.9% of the leader · rank #6
San Carlos · highest
233,333
San Carlos · highest
233,333 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 Rahway 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: 29,748.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Rahway - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Rahway places in the 72nd percentile for household income and the 64th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
72nd
percentile, household income
73rd
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
64th
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: Rahway, NJ
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 29,748 residents in Rahway, a small city within New Jersey. Rahway households earn a median of $90,852 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 3.9%. Rahway's housing stock carries a median value of $362,300, and the median resident age is 39.0 years. About 35.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 61.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 80 residential building permits were authorized in Rahway (Construction Slowdown), down 70% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Rahway reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 989.8 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
New Jersey carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 108.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. 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. Workers in Rahway report an average commute of 27.6 minutes, with 60.5% driving alone and 14.7% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 90.8 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Rahway'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income 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 Rahway, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates.
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 Rahway growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,332 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 80 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.
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 6 public schools within the city match. 35.6% 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 Rahway?
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 Englewood (29,342 residents, $101,398 income); Princeton (30,451 residents, $184,113 income); Westfield (30,760 residents, $212,700 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Atascadero, CA (29,735 residents); Monterey, CA (29,772 residents); Orchards, WA (29,716 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 Rahway?
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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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 Rahway?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 989.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 57% 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
989.8
Violent rate
180.3
Property rate
809.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Rahway?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 60.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 27.6 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.
Drive alone
60.5%
Work from home
14.7%
Public transit
10.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 14,535 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 3.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
C-
City profile score · Rahway, NJ
54/100
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.
Poverty rate B
3.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B
$90,852
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share B-
35.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime C-
180 /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.
Rahway profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 72/100 (B) · 3.9%
Household income: 70/100 (B) · $90,852
Bachelor's+ share: 68/100 (B-) · 35.6%
Violent crime: 51/100 (C-) · 180 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Rahway sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Rahway'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 - Rahway highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Rahway, NJ (this city): home $362,300, crime 990/100k
Atascadero, CA : home $673,400, crime 1,149/100k
Monterey, CA : home $1,003,300, crime 2,164/100k
Galesburg, IL : home $89,800, crime 3,478/100k
Hobart, IN : home $203,400, crime 2,423/100k
Englewood, NJ : home $497,500, crime 1,309/100k
Princeton, NJ : home $1,040,400, crime 765/100k
Westfield, NJ : home $930,500, crime 572/100k
Bergenfield, NJ : home $469,200, crime 281/100k
Millville, NJ : home $199,300, crime 4,360/100k
How does Rahway compare to other US cities?
Where Rahway 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 value73% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety64% 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: Rahway ranks #117 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 Rahway 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 Rahway near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Rahway ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Rahway only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#438 of 659
34th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#392 of 672
42nd percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#289 of 680
56th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#413 of 686
40th 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 · 64th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Rahway's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Rahway'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 Rahway's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$362,30027th percentilemore affordable than 27% 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
Rahway's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,670 of 15,516
More affordable than 31% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,977 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.0×, Rahway sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,670 of 15,516 and #1,977 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
$90,852Rahway, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Rahway, 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 Rahway, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
29,748
Median Income
$90,852
Median Home Value
$362,300
Median Age
39.0
Poverty Rate
3.9%
Labor force participation
61.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
989.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
180.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
809.5
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
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Rahway's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
29,678 residents
2021
29,982 residents
2022
29,927 residents
2023
30,527 residents
2024
31,013 residents
2025
31,010 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
80
housing units authorized
Single-Family
16
detached homes
Multifamily
64
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
267
13
254
$17.8M
2020
238
15
223
$16.4M
2021
203
15
188
$14.0M
2022
198
14
184
$15.1M
2023
118
14
104
$9.6M
2024
80
16
64
$7.3M
Permit volume decreased 70% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
27.6 minutes
Drive Alone
60.5%
Carpool
11.3%
Public Transit
10.9%
Walk
0.6%
Work from Home
14.7%
Other
2.0%
Based on 14,535 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 Rahway. 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 Rahway 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 Rahway sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Rahway 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.