Middlesex vs North Richland Hills

Which is the better fit for you?

Middlesex, NJ
61
Area Score
Top 42% nationally
North Richland Hills, TX
65
Area Score
Top 29% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

North Richland 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 Middlesex to North Richland Hills

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Everyday prices
9% lower
Regional price level 102.5 against 112.6 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$485 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,001 in North Richland Hills against $2,486 in Middlesex.
The median home
19% less
$360,700 in North Richland Hills against $446,400 in Middlesex.
The weather you would swap
Winters 16°F milder
Normal January lows are 37°F in North Richland Hills against 21°F in Middlesex; July highs are 97°F against 86°F (summers 11°F hotter).

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.

32 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Middlesex
North Richland Hills
Opportunity: North Richland Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
67 · Top 29%
vs
69 · Top 25%
Growth
40 · Bottom 28%
vs
40 · Bottom 29%
Climate: North Richland Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
63 · Bottom 30%
vs
67 · Bottom 39%
Physical resilience: North Richland Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
45 · Bottom 36%
vs
56 · Bottom 48%
Housing affordability
72 · Top 34%
vs
72 · Top 34%
Schools: North Richland Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
65 · Top 30%
vs
71 · Top 23%
Access: North Richland Hills is the more favorable of the two.
Access
93 · Top 47%
vs
99 · Top 17%
Economic stability: Middlesex is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
70 · Top 24%
vs
68 · Top 28%

Measured values

MetricMiddlesexNorth Richland HillsSource period
Population14,64570,7802024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$105,000 ±$12,543$97,305 ±$4,5652024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$51,617 ±$4,941$47,442 ±$1,9732024 ACS 5-Year
Population density4,199/sq mi3,897/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$446,400$360,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,416 — more favorable$1,7042024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,486$2,001 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index112.6102.5 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate73.9%63.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.7%4.3% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.1% — more favorable+0.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate36.9% ±5%37.3% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate9.2% ±5%6.6% ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)167712 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.11.112 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−48.4%−18.9%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high86°F97°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F37°F1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport19 mi11 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate28.7 min ±2.8 min29.7 min ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age44.339.62024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools6162024-25 school year
Students per teacher11.4 — more favorable16.12024-25 school year
Math proficiency51.2%59.2%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.1%55.3%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility44.1%48.9%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.

5 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.

New Jersey and Texas 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

Middlesex

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, earthquake.

North Richland Hills

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

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

Middlesex
—
Middlesex: Your Score
61
Area Score
North Richland Hills
—
North Richland Hills: Your Score
65
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Middlesex, NJ · North Richland Hills, TX · How this is calculated: methodology