Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Spotswood - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
Nationally, Spotswood sits in the 79th percentile for household income and the 69th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
79th
percentile, household income
73rd
percentile, home value
91st
percentile, median rent
69th
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: Spotswood, NJ
New Jersey's Spotswood is a small town, with 8,112 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Spotswood households earn a median of $101,388 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.3%. Home values in Spotswood run a median of $359,000, and the median resident age is 45.4 years. Educational attainment runs 34.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 57.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 2 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 100% from five years earlier. Spotswood reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 874.0 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects 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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,486 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts New Jersey's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 97.8 out of 100 (Very High).
Population
8,112 residents
Census ACS 2023 - New Jersey
Median Household Income
$101,388/yr
Poverty 2.3%
Cost of Living Index (state)
108.8 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, New Jersey average
How does Spotswood compare to other US cities?
Where Spotswood sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income79% higher than other cities
Home value73% pricier than other cities
Median rent91% pricier than other cities
Safety69% 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: Spotswood ranks #104 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 Spotswood 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 Spotswood toward the top of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Spotswood ranks #22 - the 82nd percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Spotswood only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#366 of 659
44th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#22 of 686
82nd percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#399 of 672
41st percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#394 of 680
40th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#428 of 686
37th percentile in New Jersey
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.
79th percentile nationally for median household income · 69th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Spotswood's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Spotswood'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 Spotswood's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$359,00027th percentilemore affordable than 27% of 15,600 US cities
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
Income distribution context
Spotswood, NJ's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Spotswood, NJ. Diagonal = perfect equality.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)34.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,112
Median Income
$101,388
Median Home Value
$359,000
Median Age
45.4
Poverty Rate
2.3%
Labor force participation
57.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
34.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
874.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
157.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
716.2
per 100,000 residents
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
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Spotswood's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
1
1
0
$0.2M
2020
1
1
0
$0.3M
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
2
2
0
$0.6M
2023
2
2
0
$0.7M
2024
2
2
0
$0.7M
Permit volume increased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.1%
Carpool
6.4%
Public Transit
2.5%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
13.1%
Based on 3,800 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for New Jersey - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$120
avg/month
Natural Gas
$95
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month
Estimates reflect New Jersey state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a New Jersey state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Spotswood sits in
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NJ FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Spotswood, NJ?
What is the population of Spotswood, NJ?+
Spotswood, NJ counts 8,112 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Spotswood, NJ?+
Median annual household income in Spotswood runs $101,388, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Spotswood?+
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Spotswood; the closest available measure is the New Jersey state average, a cost of living index of 108.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within New Jersey vary by metro area.
Is Spotswood, NJ safe?+
Spotswood has a total crime rate of 874.0 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.
What is the median home value in Spotswood, NJ?+
Spotswood's median home value sits at $359,000, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
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.