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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-SOMERVILLE-NJ · Somerville, NJ 12,958 pop · income 80th 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 Somerville
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Somerville on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Miami · lowest
45,900
Miami · lowest
45,900 median HH income
26.6% of the leader · rank #1
Goodrich · near
103,864
Goodrich · near
103,864 median HH income
60.2% of the leader · rank #2
Cavetown · near
103,866
Cavetown · near
103,866 median HH income
60.2% of the leader · rank #3
Somerville · this city
103,869
Somerville · this city
103,869 median HH income
60.2% of the leader · rank #4
Praesel · near
103,875
Praesel · near
103,875 median HH income
60.2% of the leader · rank #5
Shelter Islan… · near
103,884
Shelter Islan… · near
103,884 median HH income
60.2% of the leader · rank #6
Lynnfield · highest
172,484
Lynnfield · highest
172,484 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 Somerville 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: 12,958.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Somerville - the verdict
Somerville ranks in the 80th percentile for household income and the 71st percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
80th
percentile, household income
78th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
71st
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: Somerville, NJ
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 12,958 residents in Somerville, a small town within New Jersey. Somerville households earn a median of $103,869 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 1.2%. Somerville's housing stock carries a median value of $403,600, and the median resident age is 35.5 years. Educational attainment runs 53.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 70.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 14 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 97% from five years earlier. Somerville reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 820.0 in FBI UCR data, below 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 51.1°F with 46.7 inches of precipitation per year.
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). 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). The average commute for Somerville workers runs 21.6 minutes, with 64.3% driving alone and 15.9% working from home. 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 Somerville'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 reported crime to climate and hazard context to population change to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Somerville, 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.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Somerville?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 820.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 64% 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.
What physical conditions frame life in Somerville?
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.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 51.1°F, with 46.7 inches of precipitation. 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.
Is Somerville growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,308 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +18.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 14 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 Somerville?
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 Holiday City-Berkeley (12,896 residents, $47,855 income); Fords (13,052 residents, $116,250 income); Red Bank (12,864 residents, $101,738 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bedford, OH (12,960 residents); Miami, OK (12,960 residents); Lynnfield, MA (12,964 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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Somerville?
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 3.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.9×
Home value
$403,600
Household income
$103,869
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for Somerville?
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 3 public schools within the city match. 53.5% 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.
Poverty estimate
1.2%
Bachelor's degree+
53.5%
Matched public schools
3
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Somerville?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 64.3%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.6 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. 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
64.3%
Work from home
15.9%
Public transit
2.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 7,609 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+
1.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A
53.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B+
$103,869
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime B+
73 /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.
Somerville profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 91/100 (A+) · 1.2%
Bachelor's+ share: 87/100 (A) · 53.5%
Household income: 79/100 (B+) · $103,869
Violent crime: 78/100 (B+) · 73 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Somerville sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Somerville'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 - Somerville highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Somerville, NJ (this city): home $403,600, crime 820/100k
Bedford, OH : home $124,900, crime 603/100k
Miami, OK : home $102,600, crime 3,381/100k
Lynnfield, MA : home $904,200, crime 955/100k
Festus, MO : home $206,200, crime 1,212/100k
Ionia, MI : home $161,100, crime 740/100k
Newcastle, WA : home $1,128,200, crime 2,319/100k
Red Bank, NJ : home $477,000, crime 1,366/100k
Florham Park, NJ : home $722,700, crime 602/100k
Ridgefield Park, NJ : home $459,400, crime 1,127/100k
Oakland, NJ : home $567,200, crime 371/100k
How does Somerville compare to other US cities?
Somerville measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income80% higher than other cities
Home value78% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety71% 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, Somerville ranks #98 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 Somerville 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 Somerville near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Somerville ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Somerville only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#342 of 659
48th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#330 of 672
51st percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#491 of 680
27th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#230 of 686
66th 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
80th percentile nationally for median household income · 71st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Somerville's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Somerville'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 Somerville's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$403,60022nd percentilemore affordable than 22% 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
Somerville's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,347 of 15,516
More affordable than 33% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,877 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.9×, Somerville sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,347 of 15,516 and #1,877 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
$103,869Somerville, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Somerville, 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 Somerville, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)53.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)70.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,958
Median Income
$103,869
Median Home Value
$403,600
Median Age
35.5
Poverty Rate
1.2%
Labor force participation
70.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
53.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
820.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
72.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
747.3
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
51.1°F
Annual Precipitation
46.7"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Somerville's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,357 residents
2021
12,594 residents
2022
13,398 residents
2023
14,210 residents
2024
14,343 residents
2025
14,665 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
14
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
14
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
454
3
451
$23.6M
2020
536
2
534
$61.5M
2021
127
15
112
$10.2M
2022
21
1
20
$2.1M
2023
32
14
18
$2.0M
2024
14
0
14
$2.1M
Permit volume decreased 97% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.6 minutes
Drive Alone
64.3%
Carpool
7.9%
Public Transit
2.9%
Walk
5.9%
Work from Home
15.9%
Other
3.1%
Based on 7,609 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 Somerville. 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 Somerville 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 Somerville sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Somerville 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.