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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-WEST-LONG-BRANCH-NJ · West Long Branch, NJ 8,576 pop · income 88th 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 West Long Branch
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest West Long Branch on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sutherlin · lowest
51,860
Sutherlin · lowest
51,860 median HH income
27.7% of the leader · rank #1
Igo · near
123,625
Igo · near
123,625 median HH income
65.9% of the leader · rank #2
Crestview · near
123,644
Crestview · near
123,644 median HH income
65.9% of the leader · rank #3
West Long Bra… · this city
123,661
West Long Bra… · this city
123,661 median HH income
66.0% of the leader · rank #4
Petersburg · near
123,669
Petersburg · near
123,669 median HH income
66.0% of the leader · rank #5
Springfield · near
123,691
Springfield · near
123,691 median HH income
66.0% of the leader · rank #6
Closter · highest
187,500
Closter · highest
187,500 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 West Long Branch 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: 8,576.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
West Long Branch - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, West Long Branch lands in the 88th percentile for household income and the 56th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
88th
percentile, household income
90th
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
56th
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: West Long Branch, NJ
West Long Branch is a small town in New Jersey, home to 8,576 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $123,661 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 1.6%. West Long Branch's housing stock carries a median value of $631,300, and the median resident age is 30.4 years. Educational attainment runs 45.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 58.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 59 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 354% from five years earlier. West Long Branch reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1193.7 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: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, New Jersey scores 108.8 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,132 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in New Jersey run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. 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 West Long Branch'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 comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income to reported crime to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For West Long Branch, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits, annual population history.
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
Which cities make useful reference points for West Long Branch?
Within New Jersey, the closest population matches are Closter (8,544 residents, $187,500 income); Montvale (8,625 residents, $183,664 income); Audubon (8,699 residents, $116,900 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sonterra, TX (8,576 residents); Sutherlin, OR (8,574 residents); Arab, AL (8,573 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.
Is West Long Branch growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +41 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 59 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in West Long Branch?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.6%, 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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in West Long Branch?
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 1193.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 48% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in West Long Branch?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 66.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
3.2%
Work from home
20.7%
Drive alone
66.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 3,913 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for West Long Branch?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 45.9% 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.
Matched public schools
2
Bachelor's degree+
45.9%
Poverty estimate
1.6%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
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
1.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income A
$123,661
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime A
47 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A-
45.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; 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.
West Long Branch profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 89/100 (A) · 1.6%
Household income: 87/100 (A) · $123,661
Violent crime: 85/100 (A) · 47 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 80/100 (A-) · 45.9%
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where West Long Branch sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
West Long Branch'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 - West Long Branch highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
West Long Branch, NJ (this city): home $631,300, crime 1,194/100k
Sutherlin, OR : home $261,700, crime 1,933/100k
Arab, AL : home $196,700, crime 3,806/100k
Beebe, AR : home $163,400, crime 2,383/100k
Closter, NJ : home $820,100, crime 1,204/100k
Montvale, NJ : home $688,500, crime 988/100k
Audubon, NJ : home $288,500, crime 3,703/100k
Northfield, NJ : home $275,900, crime 1,080/100k
North Haledon, NJ : home $517,200, crime 344/100k
How does West Long Branch compare to other US cities?
West Long Branch measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income88% higher than other cities
Home value90% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety56% 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, West Long Branch ranks #137 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 West Long Branch 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 West Long Branch near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, West Long Branch ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares West Long Branch only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#224 of 659
66th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#134 of 672
80th percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#457 of 680
32nd percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#300 of 686
56th 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
88th percentile nationally for median household income · 56th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
West Long Branch's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
West Long Branch'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 West Long Branch's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$631,30010th percentilemore affordable than 10% 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
West Long Branch's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,077 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,867 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.1×, West Long Branch sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,077 of 15,516 and #9,867 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$123,661West Long Branch, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context West Long Branch, 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 West Long Branch, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)45.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,576
Median Income
$123,661
Median Home Value
$631,300
Median Age
30.4
Poverty Rate
1.6%
Labor force participation
58.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
45.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1193.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
46.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1146.9
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
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
West Long Branch's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
8,584 residents
2021
8,595 residents
2022
8,584 residents
2023
8,585 residents
2024
8,613 residents
2025
8,625 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
59
housing units authorized
Single-Family
44
detached homes
Multifamily
15
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
13
13
0
$2.8M
2020
7
7
0
$1.2M
2021
10
10
0
$1.6M
2022
13
13
0
$3.1M
2023
40
28
12
$8.9M
2024
59
44
15
$13.6M
Permit volume increased 354% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
66.6%
Carpool
3.7%
Public Transit
3.2%
Walk
5.4%
Work from Home
20.7%
Based on 3,913 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 West Long Branch. 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 West Long Branch 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 West Long Branch sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How West Long Branch 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.