CitytisticsShortlist

Golden Triangle, NJ vs Samsula-Spruce Creek, FL

Golden Triangle

New Jersey

vs

Samsula-Spruce Creek

Florida

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, Golden Triangle leads on 23 and Samsula-Spruce Creek on 12. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 14% higher in Samsula-Spruce Creek, while median household income is higher in Golden Triangle.

Median gross rent
$2,506$2,865
Golden Triangle is 13% lower
Median household income
$103,558$97,805
Golden Triangle is 6% higher
Median home value
$320,400$443,500
Golden Triangle is 28% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $73,200 a year left in Golden Triangle and $65,000 in Samsula-Spruce Creek. Money goes further in Golden Triangle, by about $8,200 a year.
  • A household earning Golden Triangle's median of $103,558 would need about $106,000 in Samsula-Spruce Creek to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 4.5 points a year in Golden Triangle, and rent outran pay by 11.6 points a year in Samsula-Spruce Creek.

How these are calculated

FloridaNew JerseySamsula-Spruce Creek, FLGolden Triangle, NJGolden TriangleSamsula-Spruce CreekGolden TriangleSamsula-Spruce Creek

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Golden Triangle, NJComposite 60.7 / 100
78
408075n/a4564n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureGolden TriangleSamsula-Spruce CreekAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$2,506$2,865
Rent to income129.0%35.2%
Property tax rate12.4%1.0%
Home price to income13.1x4.5x
Prices vs US average2102.599.4
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,860$1,673
HUD area median income4$122,700$90,800
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$7,787$4,265
Median home value1$320,400$443,500
Home prices, 1-year change55.8%-1.0%
Home prices, 5-year change574.2%55.5%
Homeownership168.1%86.0%
Renters paying 30%+135.7%53.0%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,410$1,827
Vacant homes15.3%14.3%
Median year built119851988
Jobs and income
Median household income1$103,558$97,805
Income per person1$60,186$56,184
Unemployment13.0%4.1%
Average annual pay6$70,945$56,167
Pay growth, 1 year62.7%3.8%
Jobs6207,142189,494
Poverty rate18.0%11.8%
Mean commute126 min28 min
Works from home123.2%21.0%
Commutes by transit14.6%0.0%
People
Population15,7654,852
Median age151.858.1
Bachelor's or higher146.6%37.4%
High school or higher185.6%96.9%
Household size12.22.4
Born abroad115.1%8.8%
No health insurance16.4%10.2%
Homes with broadband195.5%95.8%
Moving
Moved here in the past year14.9%6.7%
Moved from another state12.0%2.7%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-0.718.1
Income of households moving in7$71,881$72,813
Income of households moving out7$75,629$57,215
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k820.020.8
Shops per 10k830.335.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k83.65.4
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k823.421.3
Child care centers per 10k82.42.1
Parks per 10k96.912.4
Playgrounds per 10k910.40.0
Grocery stores per 10k912.10.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k965.98.2
Libraries per 10k90.00.0
Named paths and bike trails93.30.0
Transit stops per sq mi92.10.0
Nearest National Park Service site105.8n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1010n/a
National Register listings11100106
Schools
Public schools1215587
Public school students1282,07261,724
Students per teacher1212.118.2
Climate
July average high1387°F92°F
January average low1325°F48°F
Average temperature1355°F72°F
Annual precipitation1346.9 in51.9 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1493.296.2
Hurricane risk1488.598.5
Tornado risk1484.898.3
Wildfire risk1486.396.3
Heat wave risk1497.085.5
Median air quality index154441
Good air days1565.6%81.4%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Golden Triangle $100,240, Samsula-Spruce Creek $114,600 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

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