Short Hills, New Jersey
Area Profile
14,923 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Short Hills, in Essex County.
Missing required signal: opportunity. AreaProfile withholds a score rather than inferring the missing dimensions.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesPublic schools test above most of the state: 75% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 1% of published profiles for schools.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 4,911 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 22% on the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Essex County, NJ, which contains Short Hills, rather than for Short Hills alone.
Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most cities measured, with rent taking 23% of renter income.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Essex County, NJ, which contains Short Hills, is 5.6% — higher than in all but 11% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Essex County, NJ, which contains Short Hills, grew 1.8% over the past year, to 405,967 employed residents.
93% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsEssex County, NJ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $96,317 | 78th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftEssex County, NJ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $92,110 | 77th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income2024 ACS 5-Year | $250,000+ | — | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$12,7992024 ACS 5-Year | $164,794 | Top 1%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.0% | Top 12%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±3.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 45.8 min | Bottom 4%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 92.6% | Top 1%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 33.8% | 3rd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentEssex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | 405,967 | Top 21%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Essex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | +1.1% | Top 28%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Essex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | +1.8% | Top 10%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceEssex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | 430,192 | 79th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.1% | Top 43%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $86,310 | Top 17%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $61,430 | Top 19%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.0% | 99th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Essex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | −1.6% | Top 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateEssex County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026 | 5.6% | Bottom 11%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 40.4% | 98th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 644,700 | $39,680 |
| Retail Salespersons | 202,080 | $38,280 |
| Registered Nurses | 197,740 | $119,720 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 183,030 | $42,840 |
| General and Operations Managers | 177,850 | $157,000 |
| Cashiers | 173,830 | $35,950 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Essex County, NJ, which contains this city.
75% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 88% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 11.0 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millburn High School | Millburn Township School District | 1,380 | 10.5 | 47% | 89% |
| Millburn Middle School | Millburn Township School District | 1,106 | 10.5 | 84% | 87% |
| Hartshorn School | Millburn Township School District | 392 | 11.5 | 87% | 87% |
| Washington School | Millburn Township School District | 363 | 10.7 | 87% | 92% |
| Deerfield School | Millburn Township School District | 358 | 12.3 | 92% | 82% |
| Wyoming School | Millburn Township School District | 346 | 13.3 | 87% | 92% |
| Glenwood School | Millburn Township School District | 315 | 13.1 | 92% | 87% |
| South Mountain School | Millburn Township School District | 278 | 9.9 | 82% | 82% |
2.0% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against New Jersey’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 13% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 112.6, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Newark, NJ Metropolitan Division is up 54% over five years, and up 6.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,205, below the $3,126 tenants already here pay.
The typical renter household here spends 23% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $3,126 a month.
Prices here run about 13% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Short Hills’s median household income, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2023 | 112.6 | Bottom 16%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Newark, NJ Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +6.3% | 93rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Newark, NJ Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +53.7% | 88th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Newark, NJ Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +90.1% | 46th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 86.5% | 72nd percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±2662024 ACS 5-Year | 4,718 | 88th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,822 | Bottom 26%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,761 | Bottom 27%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $2,205 | Bottom 24%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$5032024 ACS 5-Year | $3,126 | Bottom 1%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$68,9042024 ACS 5-Year | $1,674,100 | 99th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes2024 ACS 5-Year | $10,000+ | — | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income2024 ACS 5-Year | $250,000+ | — | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.0% | Top 24%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±222024 ACS 5-Year | 0 | 1st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.1% | 18th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±612024 ACS 5-Year | 53 | 52nd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
80% of the 4,911 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses. The multifamily share is published for Essex County, NJ, which contains Short Hills, rather than for Short Hills alone.
Federal tax returns show Essex County, which contains Short Hills, lost about 1.0% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $96,317, close to the $92,110 of households that moved out.
At 5.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Essex County, NJ, which contains Short Hills, rather than for Short Hills alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Hudson County, NJ 4,661 people · 14% of arrivals
- Union County, NJ 3,317 people · 10% of arrivals
- Kings County, NY 2,965 people · 9.1% of arrivals
- Passaic County, NJ 2,234 people · 6.9% of arrivals
- Bergen County, NJ 1,980 people · 6.1% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Union County, NJ 5,043 people · 13% of departures
- Hudson County, NJ 2,673 people · 6.8% of departures
- Morris County, NJ 2,640 people · 6.7% of departures
- Middlesex County, NJ 2,008 people · 5.1% of departures
- Bergen County, NJ 1,989 people · 5.1% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Essex County, NJ. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Short Hills, NJ is not one. This is the figure for Essex County, NJ, which contains this city.
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 26°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 46.6 inches, including 31.5 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 46.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 31.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 26°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 87°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, heat wave and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 70% of it. Heat wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, tornado, lightning, hail, ice storm, coastal flooding, landslide, wildfire, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Essex County records 3.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 5.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 24.6 per 100,000 residents in Essex County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Short Hills (Essex County) rather than Short Hills itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. This profile has no Area Score, and that is because of a missing input above rather than anything on this list; the rule is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Newark Liberty Intl at 9 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access2024 ACS 5-Year | 100.0% | Top 10%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 9 mi | Top 23%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 5 | Top 45%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | Top 1%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Liberty Intl | EWR | 9 mi | 9,999 ft |
| John F Kennedy Intl | JFK | 30 mi | 14,511 ft |
| New York Stewart Intl | SWF | 54 mi | 11,817 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Other cities in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | New York County | 8,483,844 | 61 | New York vs Short Hills |
| Newark | Essex County | 310,178 | 53 | Newark vs Short Hills |
| Jersey City | Hudson County | 294,078 | 63 | Jersey City vs Short Hills |
| Yonkers | Westchester County | 209,978 | 61 | |
| Paterson | Passaic County | 158,735 | 45 | |
| Elizabeth | Union County | 137,302 | 55 | |
| Toms River | Ocean County | 94,956 | 58 | |
| Clifton | Passaic County | 89,379 | 58 | |
| New Rochelle | Westchester County | 82,769 | 68 | |
| Mount Vernon | Westchester County | 72,427 | 56 | |
| Bayonne | Hudson County | 71,553 | 55 | |
| East Orange | Essex County | 70,090 | 52 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Short Hills side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Short Hills from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Short Hills
2 ZIP areasEvery ZIP area in Short Hills with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Short Hills closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07078 | 14,613 | $250,000+ | $1,679,200 | — |
| 07041 | 7,532 | $202,750 | $961,700 | 66 |