Census Tract 396

Tract Snapshot: Census Tract 396, Union County, NJ

Census Tract 396 is located in Union County, New Jersey, inside the municipal boundary of Elizabeth, and contains a population of approximately 4,498 residents per Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates. Median household income here is $82,073 — a figure the Census Bureau classifies as "Near National Median" when compared with the 2023 national median near $77,000. Median gross rent sits at $1,706 per month, a useful benchmark for renters comparing local housing costs against nearby neighborhoods. Typical owner-occupied homes are valued around $362,600. The tract's poverty rate is 21.6%, measured as the share of residents with income below the federal poverty threshold.

Census tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county designed by the U.S. Census Bureau to contain roughly 1,200 to 8,000 residents, with boundaries held stable across decades so researchers can track neighborhoods over time. Tract-level figures from the American Community Survey are five-year rolling averages rather than snapshots — that smoothing reduces year-to-year noise in small areas but also means the numbers you see here describe the period ending in the reference year rather than a single moment. For context, we link back to the parent city and state pages where you can compare this tract against its neighbors.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 5-Year 2023 · GEOID: 34039039600 · Note: ACS margins of error widen at tract level