Somerset County, New Jersey
Population 349,846 · North Plainfield, Somerville, Bound Brook
- Overall cost of living: +12.6% vs the US average, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median household income: $140,374, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median rent: $2,033, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+12.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $552,100 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Median rent | $2,033 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $179/mo | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $16,592/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.81% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.625% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.52% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $10,001 | the highest in the US |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $140,374 | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3.1% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 545.3 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈197 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 86°F | lower than 57% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 21 in | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 16 days | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 137 days | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.8% of weeks | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63°F | lower than 51% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 48.8 in | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $137/yr | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $118/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $5.2/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $6.1/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.7/yr | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.03/yr | lower than 88% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³ | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 15.7 mi | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈569.5 ft | higher than 61% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94% | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 57.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 26.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 51 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 10.9:1 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 88.8% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.77 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.44 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 110/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 32 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.9★ | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 yrs | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.4% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 328/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 98/100k | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 106.1/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 92.1% | higher than 91% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 40 min | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 40 min | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 31 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 95.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 3.4% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 22.7% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 44 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 60 per sq mi | higher than 85% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.6 per 1k | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 5.6 per 1k | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Population | 349,846 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.8 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -1.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 55.7% Dem | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 41.8% Rep | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.5% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % White | 49.3% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 17.6% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Black | 9.3% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Asian | 19.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.6% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 1160 parks | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.4 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.4 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 83 min | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 192 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 541 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 3,058 km | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 49 km | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 928 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 470 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 125 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 48 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 49 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 276 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 12 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 511 | the highest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 169 km | higher than 91% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data