Franklin Park vs The Hills

Which is the better fit for you?

Franklin Park, NJ
68
Area Score
Top 19% nationally
The Hills, NJ
69
Area Score
Top 17% nationally

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The Hills receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Franklin Park to The Hills

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 112.6 against 112.6 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $2,486 in The Hills against $2,486 in Franklin Park.
The median home
71% more
$577,000 in The Hills against $336,600 in Franklin Park.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 21°F in The Hills against 21°F in Franklin Park; July highs are 86°F against 86°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Franklin Park
The Hills
Opportunity: The Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
76 · Top 14%
vs
79 · Top 10%
Growth
49 · Bottom 48%
vs
49 · Bottom 48%
Climate
63 · Bottom 30%
vs
63 · Bottom 30%
Physical resilience: The Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
55 · Bottom 48%
vs
56 · Bottom 48%
Housing affordability: The Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
77 · Top 20%
vs
78 · Top 17%
Schools
74 · Top 20%
vs
74 · Top 20%
Access: The Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Access
89 · Bottom 37%
vs
90 · Bottom 41%
Economic stability: The Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
76 · Top 11%
vs
81 · Top 4%

Measured values

MetricFranklin ParkThe HillsSource period
Population13,21110,7852024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$114,946$154,564 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$56,415$93,792 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,071/sq mi3,804/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$336,600$577,0002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$2,157 ±$115$2,376 ±$2072024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,486$2,486FY2026
Cost of living index112.6112.62023
Homeownership rate55.7%83.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.0%4.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.1%+1.1%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher54.4%74.0% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate9.1% ±6%3.8% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)76576512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.22.212 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−17.4%−17.4%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high86°F86°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F21°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation45.5"45.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport26 mi24 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute32.4 min — more favorable38.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age37.147.12024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher10.510.52024-25 school year
Math proficiency55.9%55.9%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency67.2%67.2%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Franklin Park

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, earthquake.

The Hills

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Franklin Park
—
Franklin Park: Your Score
68
Area Score
The Hills
—
The Hills: Your Score
69
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Franklin Park, NJ · The Hills, NJ · How this is calculated: methodology