Glen Rock vs Jersey City

Which is the better fit for you?

Glen Rock, NJ
69
Area Score
Top 17% nationally
Jersey City, NJ
63
Area Score
Top 37% nationally

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Glen Rock 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 Glen Rock to Jersey City

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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
+$311 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,951 in Jersey City against $2,640 in Glen Rock.
The median home
34% less
$566,900 in Jersey City against $856,900 in Glen Rock.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 26°F in Jersey City against 26°F in Glen Rock; July highs are 87°F against 87°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

Glen Rock
Jersey City
Opportunity: Glen Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
85 · Top 3%
vs
77 · Top 12%
Growth: Jersey City is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
58 · Top 32%
vs
76 · Top 7%
Climate
71 · Top 47%
vs
71 · Top 48%
Physical resilience: Glen Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
47 · Bottom 38%
vs
29 · Bottom 23%
Housing affordability: Jersey City is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
39 · Bottom 9%
vs
67 · Top 50%
Schools: Glen Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
97 · Top 1%
vs
45 · Bottom 44%
Access: Jersey City is the more favorable of the two.
Access
93 · Top 49%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Glen Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
85 · Top 1%
vs
52 · Bottom 39%

Measured values

MetricGlen RockJersey CitySource period
Population12,154294,0782024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$215,096 — more favorable$97,7102024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$83,336 — more favorable$60,4292024 ACS 5-Year
Population density4,496/sq mi19,940/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$856,900$566,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,930 ±$523$2,007 ±$392024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,640 — more favorable$2,951FY2026
Cost of living index112.6112.62023
Homeownership rate90.2%27.9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.9% — more favorable4.2%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+2.5%+2.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher73.1% — more favorable54.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate1.4% — more favorable14.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)242,65712 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.09.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+26.3%+39.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high87°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low26°F26°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation46.3"46.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport19 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate40.4 min ±3.2 min40.2 min ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.734.72024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools6532024-25 school year
Students per teacher11.6 — more favorable12.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency72.3% — more favorable36.6%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency84.8% — more favorable53.7%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility1.1%65.7%2024-25 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. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Glen Rock

Elevated or high exposure: coastal flooding, earthquake.

Jersey City

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, coastal flooding.

Your best match

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

Glen Rock
—
Glen Rock: Your Score
69
Area Score
Jersey City
—
Jersey City: Your Score
63
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Glen Rock, NJ · Jersey City, NJ · How this is calculated: methodology