CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

40.68° N · 74.55° W · GEOID 3442180

Lyons

Somerset County, New Jersey · part of the New York, NY metro

Limited data core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

New JerseyLyons, NJLyonsLyons

The short answer

Lyons is home to 5,187 people. Median household income is $250,001 a year and median rent is $2,033 a month, 9.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $1,037,400, about 4.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,033
49% above the median place
Median household income
$250,001
211% above the median place
Median home value
$1,037,400
225% above the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
3% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lyons

  • 98% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 287 New Jersey places.
  • The median household earns $250,001 a year, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 287 New Jersey places.
  • The median rent takes only 9.8% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 287 New Jersey places.
  • The median home is valued at $1,037,400, more than in 97% of places its size.
  • 71% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 94% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 91 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Lyons

Somerset County loses about 0.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in18,482
Moved out18,750
Net−268

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Middlesex County, NJ4,8303,200+1,630
Union County, NJ2,2511,223+1,028
Morris County, NJ1,121919+202
Hunterdon County, NJ6141,202−588
Mercer County, NJ576765−189
New York County, NY484

Within New Jersey, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New JerseyOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$114K
Leavers$128K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Somerset County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Somerset County report $114,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $127,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$81,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,033 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $4,001 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $1,037,400.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 30.1% work from home; 3.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Town and Country, MO matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.2%
9% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$127,772
82% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$114,065
62% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.2%9% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%25% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.950% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$114,06562% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$127,77282% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Lyons9.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$81,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
9.8%
52% below the median place
Home price to income
4.2x
9% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
10%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$214,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lyons, $2,033 a month, and local prices for everything else (105.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lyons.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lyons? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
98.4%
48% above the median place
Median home value1
$1,037,400
225% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$2,03349% above
Rent to income19.8%52% below
Home price to income14.2x9% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure112.612% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,62362% above
HUD area median income4County figure$154,80044% above
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001206% above
Median home value1$1,037,400225% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.3%97% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure56.4%10% above
Homeownership198.4%48% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure49.0%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$4,001114% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119840% above
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $129,113, 222% above the median place.

Income per person1
$129,113
222% above the median place
Median household income1
$250,001
211% above the median place
Works from home1
30.1%
142% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$250,001211% above
Income per person1$129,113222% above
Unemployment1County figure4.7%3% below
Average annual pay6County figure$112,98271% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.2%68% above
Jobs6County figure192,37428% above
Poverty rate1County figure5.4%50% below
Mean commute134 min36% above
Works from home130.1%142% above
Commutes by transit1County figure3.4%299% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 98.5%, 7% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
98.5%
7% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
71.0%
121% above the median place
Median age1
48.2
24% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.1 +25%
Born abroad16.4% +85%
High school or higher95.2% +3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,1876489th largest
Median age148.224% above
Bachelor's or higher171.0%121% above
High school or higher195.2%3% above
Household size13.125% above
Born abroad116.4%85% above
No health insurance1County figure5.4%16% below
Homes with broadband198.5%7% above
05

Life in Lyons

The nearest National Park Service site is Morristown National Historical Park, about 9 miles away.

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Lyons Station listed 1984
  • Lyons Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District listed 2013

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.6 +14%
Playgrounds per 10k3.9 −59%
Grocery stores per 10k1.9 −9%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1.9 −83%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −30%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.0 5.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Morristown National Historical Park 9 miles
  • Thomas Edison National Historical Park 18 miles
  • Great Kills Park 24 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.3 +7%
Shops28.8 −5%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.7 +15%
Doctors' offices and clinics27.6 +37%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
9.1
70% below the median place
Students per teacher12
10.5
32% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
27.6
37% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure84above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure51,276above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure10.532% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.37% above
Shops per 10k8County figure28.85% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.715% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure27.637% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k911.614% above
Playgrounds per 10k93.959% below
Grocery stores per 10k91.99% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k91.983% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.430% below
Transit stops per sq mi91.0395% above
Nearest National Park Service site109.170% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1023above (median 2)
National Register listings11285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 42.2%, 38% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lyons. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
42.2%
38% below the median place
Median air quality index15
53
23% above the median place
Wildfire risk14
35.4
42% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLyonsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure22°F13% below
Average temperature13County figure53°F3% below
Annual precipitation13County figure49.0 in12% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure90.92% below
Hurricane risk14County figure83.518% above
Tornado risk14County figure72.311% below
Wildfire risk14County figure35.442% below
Heat wave risk14County figure88.02% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure5323% above
Good air days15Metro figure42.2%38% below
08

Lyons in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$250,001 (2024)$315,000$266,000 to $372,500+3.9%
Median home value$1,037,400 (2024)$1,486,000$1,079,000 to $2,047,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 4.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.1 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lyons

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Town and Country, MO$1,955$232,534Compare
Lake Forest, IL$1,815$235,081Compare
South Barrington, IL$2,200$221,575Compare
Lucas, TX$1,764$221,364Compare
Lucas, TXSouth Barrington, ILLake Forest, ILTown and Country, MOLyons, NJLyonsTown and CountryLake ForestSouth BarringtonLucasLyonsTown and CountryLake ForestSouth BarringtonLucas

Common questions

Is Lyons a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 98% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 287 New Jersey places. The median household earns $250,001 a year, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 287 New Jersey places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lyons expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 9.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $1,037,400.

What salary do you need to live in Lyons?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $81,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lyons?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Town and Country, MO, Lake Forest, IL, South Barrington, IL and Lucas, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lyons with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lyons itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lyons-new-jersey

Citytistics. “Lyons, New Jersey.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lyons-new-jersey/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.