CitytisticsShortlist

New Vernon, NJ vs Rio del Mar, CA

New Vernon

New Jersey

vs

Rio del Mar

California

Across 27 directional measures we can compare, New Vernon leads on 12 and Rio del Mar on 15. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 6% higher in Rio del Mar, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$3,207$3,407
New Vernon is 6% lower
Median household income
$100,844$159,929
New Vernon is 37% lower
Median home value
$1,566,200$1,338,100
New Vernon is 17% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $59,300 a year left in New Vernon and $120,500 in Rio del Mar. Money goes further in Rio del Mar, by about $61,300 a year.
  • A household earning New Vernon's median of $100,844 would need about $99,500 in Rio del Mar to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 17.2 points a year in New Vernon, and rent and pay rose at about the same pace in Rio del Mar.

How these are calculated

New JerseyCaliforniaRio del Mar, CANew Vernon, NJNew VernonRio del MarNew VernonRio del Mar

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
01Rio del Mar, CAComposite 44.9 / 100
37
106492n/a2349n/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.

MeasureNew VernonRio del MarAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$3,207$3,407
Rent to income138.2%25.6%
Property tax rate1n/a0.6%
Home price to income115.5x8.4x
Prices vs US average2112.6109.9
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,233$4,254
HUD area median income4$138,400$137,200
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001$8,403
Median home value1$1,566,200$1,338,100
Home prices, 1-year change55.9%0.3%
Home prices, 5-year change552.9%30.1%
Homeownership167.9%75.2%
Renters paying 30%+185.9%50.8%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$4,001$4,001
Vacant homes10.0%21.8%
Median year built119461973
Jobs and income
Median household income1$100,844$159,929
Income per person1$133,193$91,703
Unemployment10.0%5.7%
Average annual pay6$104,045$70,123
Pay growth, 1 year62.8%3.7%
Jobs6301,376104,438
Poverty rate14.9%2.3%
Mean commute130 min30 min
Works from home121.8%30.2%
Commutes by transit13.3%0.0%
People
Population17439,201
Median age150.251.4
Bachelor's or higher182.4%65.2%
High school or higher1100.0%98.1%
Household size12.82.4
Born abroad119.8%8.3%
No health insurance14.7%1.9%
Homes with broadband192.1%96.5%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.3%6.3%
Moved from another state11.4%1.1%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-1.7-9.8
Income of households moving in7$134,692$113,571
Income of households moving out7$132,441$93,789
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k826.223.8
Shops per 10k831.730.5
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k86.05.9
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k826.723.6
Child care centers per 10k83.04.9
Parks per 10k9n/a17.4
Playgrounds per 10k9n/a7.6
Grocery stores per 10k9n/a2.2
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9n/a8.7
Libraries per 10k9n/a0.0
Named paths and bike trails9n/a0.3
Transit stops per sq mi9n/a13.3
Nearest National Park Service site10n/a50.0
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10n/a2
National Register listings1116146
Schools
Public schools12182
Public school students1229136,310
Students per teacher126.821.5
Climate
July average high1384°F77°F
January average low1320°F41°F
Average temperature1351°F58°F
Annual precipitation1350.0 in33.6 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1492.997.8
Hurricane risk1485.2n/a
Tornado risk1479.918.7
Wildfire risk1430.097.3
Heat wave risk1489.286.6
Median air quality index153935
Good air days1584.4%87.7%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: New Vernon $128,280, Rio del Mar $136,280 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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