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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-RIDGEWOOD-NJ · Ridgewood, NJ 26,076 pop · income 99th 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 Ridgewood
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ridgewood on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Bridgeton · lowest
46,124
Bridgeton · lowest
46,124 median HH income
21.2% of the leader · rank #1
Poolesville · near
216,653
Poolesville · near
216,653 median HH income
99.4% of the leader · rank #2
Ridgewood · this city
217,250
Ridgewood · this city
217,250 median HH income
99.7% of the leader · rank #3
Darnestown · near
217,679
Darnestown · near
217,679 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #4
Kensington · near
217,679
Kensington · near
217,679 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #5
Terrell Hills · near
217,800
Terrell Hills · near
217,800 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #6
Paa-Ko · highest
217,946
Paa-Ko · highest
217,946 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 Ridgewood 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: 26,076.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ridgewood - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Ridgewood places in the 99th percentile for household income and the 80th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
99th
percentile, household income
96th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
80th
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: Ridgewood, NJ
Ridgewood is a small city in New Jersey, home to 26,076 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $217,250 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Typical homes in Ridgewood are valued around $882,700, and the median resident age is 41.1 years. About 80.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 16 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 91% from five years earlier. Ridgewood reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 629.1 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: the state registers 108.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. 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 Ridgewood workers runs 25.4 minutes, with 50.1% driving alone and 28.6% 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 Ridgewood'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 population change to comparison shortlist to reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ridgewood, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, 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.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Ridgewood?
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. 80.6% 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.
Is Ridgewood growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +634 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 16 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Ridgewood?
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 Lodi (25,946 residents, $84,570 income); Paramus (26,500 residents, $139,707 income); Cliffside Park (25,580 residents, $94,960 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Conway, SC (26,082 residents); Oxford, MS (26,086 residents); Medina, OH (26,040 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 can the FBI record say about safety in Ridgewood?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 629.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 72% 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.
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 Ridgewood?
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 4.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
4.1×
Home value
$882,700
Household income
$217,250
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Ridgewood?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 50.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 25.4 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. 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
50.1%
Work from home
28.6%
Public transit
12.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 12,528 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.
Household income A+
$217,250
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
80.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A
45 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate A-
2.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better 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.
Ridgewood profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $217,250
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 80.6%
Violent crime: 85/100 (A) · 45 /100k
Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Ridgewood sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ridgewood'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 - Ridgewood highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Ridgewood, NJ (this city): home $882,700, crime 629/100k
Conway, SC : home $236,300, crime 2,419/100k
Oxford, MS : home $333,400, crime 1,980/100k
Medina, OH : home $231,700, crime 871/100k
Lodi, NJ : home $449,200, crime 1,510/100k
Paramus, NJ : home $736,000, crime 4,928/100k
Cliffside Park, NJ : home $577,200, crime 770/100k
Bridgeton, NJ : home $134,400, crime 4,427/100k
Carteret, NJ : home $370,200, crime 1,576/100k
Millville, NJ : home $199,300, crime 4,360/100k
How does Ridgewood compare to other US cities?
Ridgewood measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income99% higher than other cities
Home value96% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety80% 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, Ridgewood ranks #70 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 Ridgewood 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 Ridgewood near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ridgewood ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ridgewood only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#34 of 659
95th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#53 of 672
92nd percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#380 of 680
43rd percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#21 of 686
97th 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
99th percentile nationally for median household income · 80th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ridgewood's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ridgewood'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 Ridgewood's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$882,7004th percentilemore affordable than 4% 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
Ridgewood's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,884 of 15,516
More affordable than 30% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,042 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.1×, Ridgewood sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,884 of 15,516 and #2,042 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
$217,250Ridgewood, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ridgewood, 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 Ridgewood, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)80.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.5%
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
26,076
Median Income
$217,250
Median Home Value
$882,700
Median Age
41.1
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
64.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
80.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
629.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
44.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
584.4
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
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ridgewood's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
25,893 residents
2021
26,238 residents
2022
26,211 residents
2023
26,356 residents
2024
26,553 residents
2025
26,527 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
16
housing units authorized
Single-Family
16
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
170
13
157
$12.4M
2020
112
14
98
$18.5M
2021
30
12
18
$9.8M
2022
26
13
13
$9.1M
2023
14
14
0
$10.6M
2024
16
16
0
$12.1M
Permit volume decreased 91% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
25.4 minutes
Drive Alone
50.1%
Carpool
4.4%
Public Transit
12.2%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
28.6%
Other
2.0%
Based on 12,528 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 Ridgewood. 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 Ridgewood 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 Ridgewood sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ridgewood 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.