Somerville, New Jersey

Area Profile

13,410 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Somerville, in Somerset County.

72out of 100
Area Score
Top 8% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
OpportunityTop 15% of 4,199 cities measured75
SchoolsTop 32% of 4,162 cities measured63
GrowthTop 1% of 4,224 cities measured93
Housing affordabilityTop 16% of 4,218 cities measured78
Climate2,941st of 4,225 cities measured63
Physical resilience2,197th of 4,226 cities measured56
Access2,557th of 4,226 cities measured90
Economic stabilityTop 10% of 4,226 cities measured76
The quick read

Somerville ranks in the top 15% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.0% and median household income of $103,760. The unemployment rate is published for Somerset County, NJ, which contains Somerville, rather than for Somerville alone.

In the public schools here, 45% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 9.7 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 237 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, against 5 the year before. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

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

Population
13,410
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$103,760
Top 16% nationally
Density
5,736/sq mi
2.3 sq mi of land
Median age
35.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
New Jersey
Nearest major airport
EWR
25 mi · Newark Liberty Intl
Median home value
$435,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Somerset County, NJ, which contains Somerville, is 4.0%, lower than in 61% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Somerset County, NJ, which contains Somerville, grew 1.1% over the past year, to 189,821 employed residents.

55% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 91% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsSomerset County, NJ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$114,03790th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftSomerset County, NJ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$126,30495th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$9,3162024 ACS 5-Year$103,760Top 16%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$3,8652024 ACS 5-Year$56,587Top 12%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year6.1%Top 29%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year30.1 minBottom 33%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year54.7%Top 9%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year66.8%21st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentSomerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026189,821Top 34%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Somerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026+0.8%Top 34%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Somerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026+1.1%Top 15%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceSomerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026197,77166th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year86.8%Top 18%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$86,310Top 17%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$61,430Top 19%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year2.2%90th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Somerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 2026−1.1%Top 11%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateSomerset County, NJ’s figureJuly 20264.0%Top 39%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year17.1%80th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024104k93k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $103,760 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides644,700$39,680
Retail Salespersons202,080$38,280
Registered Nurses197,740$119,720
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners183,030$42,840
General and Operations Managers177,850$157,000
Cashiers173,830$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 Somerset County, NJ, which contains this city.

45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 61% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 9.7 students for every full-time teacher across 5 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
5
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
9.7
across all schools here
Math proficiency
44.9%
Top 46% in New Jersey
Reading proficiency
61.0%
Top 44% in New Jersey
All 5 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Somerville High SchoolSomerville Public School District1,07211.427%57%
Van Derveer Elementary SchoolSomerville Public School District74510.150%52%
Branchburg Central Middle SchoolBranchburg Township School District4588.071%88%
Somerville Middle SchoolSomerville Public School District3398.723%49%
Stony Brook SchoolBranchburg Township School District3107.980%70%

28.5% 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.

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.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,486, some 38% above the $1,802 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,486 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $99,400 a year, about 96% of the median household income here of $103,760.

The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,802 a month.

A median home at $435,700 costs 2.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $148,608, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
112.6

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.

Rent as a share of income
27.4%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.9×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$2,486
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,802
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$435,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Somerville’s median household income of $103,760, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area’s figure2023112.6Bottom 16%of 3,7002023
Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year2.9Bottom 36%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year43.0%5th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3032024 ACS 5-Year6,13190th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,978Bottom 20%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,981Bottom 20%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$2,486Bottom 16%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$492024 ACS 5-Year$1,802Bottom 12%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$20,6142024 ACS 5-Year$435,70085th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes2024 ACS 5-Year$10,000+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$17,6842024 ACS 5-Year$148,608Top 7%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year27.4%Top 44%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±222024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year2.5%23rd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±902024 ACS 5-Year15173rd percentileof 32,3302024 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.

Development Momentum

93/ 100
Top 1% of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been falling for the last 2 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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.

Population has grown 17% since 2020, reaching 14,428 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 14,428 residents in 2024, up 1.3% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

94% of the 237 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.

Federal tax returns show that people moving in from elsewhere in the US and people moving out roughly balanced across Somerset County, which contains Somerville, in the most recent year. Households that moved in reported an average income of $114,037, below the $126,304 of households that moved out.

At 17.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
237
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
17.7
Top 3% nationally
Year over year
+4640%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
93.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202414k12k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
0.0%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
30%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$114,037
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$126,304
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Middlesex County, NJ 4,830 people · 26% of arrivals
  2. Union County, NJ 2,251 people · 12% of arrivals
  3. Morris County, NJ 1,121 people · 6.1% of arrivals
  4. Hudson County, NJ 916 people · 5.0% of arrivals
  5. Essex County, NJ 854 people · 4.7% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Middlesex County, NJ 3,200 people · 17% of departures
  2. Union County, NJ 1,223 people · 6.6% of departures
  3. Hunterdon County, NJ 1,202 people · 6.5% of departures
  4. Morris County, NJ 919 people · 5.0% of departures
  5. Mercer County, NJ 765 people · 4.1% 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 Somerset County, NJ. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420251275.0
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−90%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 21°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.5 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SOMERVILLE SOMERSET AP, 4.9 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals45.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals21°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals86°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals45°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

56 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 77% of it.

Strong windElevated
Inland floodingElevated
Ice stormModerate
EarthquakeElevated
HurricaneModerate
DroughtModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, lightning, cold wave, tornado, wildfire, landslide, coastal flooding, hail, 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.

Violent crime
126
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
625
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Somerville's police department reported 126 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 625.

Somerset County has a modeled homicide rate of about 1.8 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 3.4 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 8.9 per 100,000 residents in Somerset County.

Homicide
1.8
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
3.4
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
8.9
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
8.0
per 100,000 residents

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.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Somerville’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. 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 Somerville (Somerset County) rather than Somerville itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

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 25 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year92.6%Top 36%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle25 miBottom 35%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year4.5%Top 34%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Newark Liberty IntlEWR25 mi9,999 ft
John F Kennedy IntlJFK44 mi14,511 ft
Philadelphia IntlPHL59 mi12,000 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.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
72
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Other cities in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
New YorkNew York County8,483,84461New York vs Somerville
NewarkEssex County310,17853Newark vs Somerville
Jersey CityHudson County294,07863Jersey City vs Somerville
YonkersWestchester County209,97861
PatersonPassaic County158,73545
ElizabethUnion County137,30255
Toms RiverOcean County94,95658
CliftonPassaic County89,37958
New RochelleWestchester County82,76968
Mount VernonWestchester County72,42756
BayonneHudson County71,55355
East OrangeEssex County70,09052

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.

Compare

Put Somerville side by side with a similar place.

Somerville vs CrowleySomerville vs Corinth

Moving to Somerville from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.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
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA 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 Somerville

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Somerville with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
0887623,380$122,884$485,10073