CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.00° N · 74.26° W · GEOID 3458860

Pines Lake

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

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

New JerseyPines Lake, NJPines LakePines Lake

The short answer

Pines Lake is home to 2,882 people. Median household income is $172,348 a year and median rent is $1,621 a month, 11.3% 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 $626,500, about 3.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,621
19% above the median place
Median household income
$172,348
115% above the median place
Median home value
$626,500
96% above the median place
Unemployment
8.0%
64% above 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 Pines Lake

  • 99% 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.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 265 New Jersey places.
  • The median rent takes only 11.3% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 97% of places its size.
  • The median household earns $172,348 a year, more than in 94% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 50.8 years old, older than in 92% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 96 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Pines Lake

Passaic County loses about 12.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in17,961
Moved out23,429
Net−5,468

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bergen County, NJ4,5094,930−421
Essex County, NJ1,9392,234−295
Morris County, NJ1,1442,138−994
Hudson County, NJ1,493897+596
Bronx County, NY1,204455+749
Queens County, NY638
New York County, NY559

Within New Jersey, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New JerseyOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$69K
Leavers$71K

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

Who moves here
3.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Passaic County report $69,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $70,900.
Income you would need
$64,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,621 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,238 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $626,500.
Getting to work
33 minutes each way on average; 22.7% work from home; 7.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Shorewood, MN matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-12.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
1.0%
49% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.8%
33% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.8%33% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.0%49% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-12.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$69,2742% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$70,8701% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Pines Lake11.3%
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
$64,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.3%
45% below the median place
Home price to income
3.6x
4% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
11%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$145,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Pines Lake, $1,621 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 Pines Lake.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Pines Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Homeownership1
98.8%
49% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$10,001
206% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,62119% above
Rent to income111.3%45% below
Home price to income13.6x4% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure112.612% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,28241% above
HUD area median income4County figure$139,10030% above
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001206% above
Median home value1$626,50096% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.8%112% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure58.0%13% above
Homeownership198.8%49% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,23873% above
Vacant homes1County figure3.7%48% below
Median year built119651% below
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $91,507, 128% above the median place.

Income per person1
$91,507
128% above the median place
Median household income1
$172,348
115% above the median place
Commutes by transit1
7.5%
above the median place (median 0.8%)
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$172,348115% above
Income per person1$91,507128% above
Unemployment1County figure8.0%64% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,7752% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure1.7%54% below
Jobs6County figure174,26816% above
Poverty rate1County figure13.0%21% above
Mean commute133 min31% above
Works from home122.7%82% above
Commutes by transit17.5%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
50.8
30% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
67.1%
109% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher97.7% +6%
Born abroad19.0% 2.2×
Household size2.6 +4%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,8826646th largest
Median age150.830% above
Bachelor's or higher167.1%109% above
High school or higher197.7%6% above
Household size12.64% above
Born abroad119.0%115% above
No health insurance1County figure12.0%87% above
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in Pines Lake

43 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents34.7 3.4×
Playgrounds per 10k17.4 +84%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails2 km +20%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.8 +0%
Shops35.3 +17%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.8 −32%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.3 +10%
Child care centers2.6 +13%

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

Public schools11
149
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
82,808
above the median place (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11
12.0
22% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure149above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure82,808above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure12.022% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.80% above
Shops per 10k8County figure35.317% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.832% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.310% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.613% above
Parks per 10k934.7241% above
Playgrounds per 10k917.484% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails92.420% above
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure43231% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 16.1, 74% 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 Pines Lake. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
16.1
74% below the median place
Annual precipitation12
48.6 in
11% above the median place
January average low12
20°F
20% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePines LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure84°F3% below
January average low12County figure20°F20% below
Average temperature12County figure51°F7% below
Annual precipitation12County figure48.6 in11% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure95.84% above
Hurricane risk13County figure87.924% above
Tornado risk13County figure88.89% above
Wildfire risk13County figure16.174% below
Heat wave risk13County figure96.27% above
Median air quality index14County figure415% below
Good air days14County figure73.6%7% above
08

Pines Lake 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$172,348 (2024)$216,000$182,500 to $255,500+3.8%
Median home value$626,500 (2024)$839,000$609,000 to $1,156,000+5.0%

The median home would be worth 3.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.6 now.

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

09

Places like Pines Lake

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

PlaceRentIncome
Shorewood, MN$1,607$171,063Compare
North Star, DE$1,479$150,733Compare
Wyndmoor, PA$1,464$152,594Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD$1,369$174,063Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MDWyndmoor, PANorth Star, DEShorewood, MNPines Lake, NJPines LakeShorewoodAshton-Sandy SpringPines LakeShorewoodAshton-Sandy Spring

Common questions

Is Pines Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 99% 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. Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 265 New Jersey places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Pines Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.3% 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 $626,500.

What salary do you need to live in Pines Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $64,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Pines Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Shorewood, MN, North Star, DE, Wyndmoor, PA and Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD.

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 Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 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
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. 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 Pines Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Pines Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/pines-lake-new-jersey

Citytistics. “Pines Lake, New Jersey.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/pines-lake-new-jersey/

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