Signals
Melissa
Budd Lake
Opportunity
71 · Top 20%
vs76 · Top 13%
Climate
65 · Bottom 33%
vs62 · Bottom 23%
Physical resilience
67 · Top 40%
vs57 · Bottom 49%
Housing affordability
88 · Top 36%
vs89 · Top 34%
Schools
87 · Top 5%
vs80 · Top 13%
Access
85 · Bottom 30%
vs85 · Bottom 29%
Economic stability
86 · Top 1%
vs86 · Top 1%
Measured values
| Metric | Melissa | Budd Lake | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,136 | 10,650 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $138,763 | $114,154 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $46,817 | $51,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,757/sq mi | 1,956/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $454,000 | $456,100 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $2,532 | $1,402 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 88.7% | 74.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 3.8% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -0.4% | 0.9% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52.6% | 45.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 1.9% | 4.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average July high | 95°F | 84°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 34°F | 19°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 38.3" | 48.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 32 mi | 32 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 37.1 min | 33.1 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 36.3 | 36.9 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 6 | 3 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 16.22 | 10.33 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 73.3% | 36.9% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 68.3% | 57.4% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 18.4% | 22.5% | 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.
Texas and New Jersey do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.
Physical risk tradeoff
Melissa
Elevated or high exposure: hail.
Budd Lake
Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, earthquake.
Full profiles: Melissa, TX · Budd Lake, NJ · How this is calculated: methodology