Woodbridge vs Selma

Which is the better fit for you?

Woodbridge, NJ
57
Area Score
Bottom 46% nationally
Selma, TX
61
Area Score
Top 43% nationally

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Selma 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 Woodbridge to Selma

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Everyday prices
16% lower
Regional price level 94.3 against 112.6 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$666 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,820 in Selma against $2,486 in Woodbridge.
The median home
20% less
$313,900 in Selma against $390,000 in Woodbridge.
The weather you would swap
Winters 15°F milder
Normal January lows are 41°F in Selma against 26°F in Woodbridge; July highs are 96°F against 87°F (summers 9°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.

31 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

Woodbridge
Selma
Opportunity: Woodbridge is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
66 · Top 30%
vs
62 · Top 37%
Growth: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
34 · Bottom 21%
vs
37 · Bottom 25%
Climate: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
71 · Top 48%
vs
72 · Top 42%
Physical resilience: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
45 · Bottom 36%
vs
55 · Bottom 48%
Housing affordability: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
76 · Top 22%
vs
80 · Top 13%
Schools: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
34 · Bottom 30%
vs
43 · Bottom 41%
Access
98 · Top 22%
vs
98 · Top 21%
Economic stability: Selma is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
58 · Top 49%
vs
66 · Top 32%

Measured values

MetricWoodbridgeSelmaSource period
Population20,75611,5032024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$104,926 ±$12,744$97,066 ±$8,5422024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$46,419 ±$2,967$44,339 ±$6,3122024 ACS 5-Year
Population density4,507/sq mi2,296/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$390,000$313,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,091$1,774 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,486$1,820 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index112.694.3 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate52.6%64.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.7%4.7%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.1% — more favorable−0.4%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate36.2% ±2%36.6% ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.1% ±4%6.3% ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1,393912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.6 — more favorable0.812 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−36.7%−43.8%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high87°F96°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low26°F41°F1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport11 mi10 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate32.7 min ±1.8 min30.6 min ±3.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.634.92024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher12.3 — more favorable15.52024-25 school year
Math proficiency33.2%46.7%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency42.5%45.7%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.

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

Woodbridge

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, earthquake.

Selma

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.

Woodbridge
—
Woodbridge: Your Score
57
Area Score
Selma
—
Selma: Your Score
61
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Woodbridge, NJ · Selma, TX · How this is calculated: methodology