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Passaic County, NJ

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
113
13% above the U.S. average
Median home value
$439,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+46.0%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,553
national $1,348
Homeownership
53%
national 65%
Unemployment
5.1%
national 3.6%
Household income
$87,137
national $78,538
Median age
38.1 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

The cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. The median home is valued at $439,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 46% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,553 a month. Unemployment averaged 5.1% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $87,137. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Passaic County, NJ saw a net loss of 2,927 tax-filing households and a net loss of 5,468 individuals. Against a population of about 513,395, that is a net outflow of about 11 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $224.5M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 2,659 households, came from Bergen County; the largest outflow, about 2,812 households, went to Bergen County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 7,151 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$224.5M
nominal dollars
Net households
-2,927
tax returns
Net people
-5,468
exemptions

-10.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 513,395)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$740.8M
Moved out$965.3M
Net -$224.5M (nominal)
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Passaic County within New Jersey

Passaic County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other New Jersey counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Bergen County, NJ2,659$194.3M
  2. 2Essex County, NJ1,184$86.9M
  3. 3Hudson County, NJ871$75.9M
  4. 4Morris County, NJ720$57.6M
  5. 5Bronx County, NY641$25.6M
  6. 6New York County, NY348$23M
  7. 7Queens County, NY317$23.7M
  8. 8Kings County, NY284$19.4M
  9. 9Union County, NJ212$12.7M
  10. 10Middlesex County, NJ192$13.3M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Bergen County, NJ2,812$193.8M
  2. 2Essex County, NJ1,347$86.2M
  3. 3Morris County, NJ1,255$132.9M
  4. 4Hudson County, NJ614$41M
  5. 5Sussex County, NJ406$29.3M
  6. 6Ocean County, NJ304$32.8M
  7. 7Union County, NJ246$15.9M
  8. 8Bronx County, NY245$7.7M
  9. 9New York County, NY234$21.5M
  10. 10Middlesex County, NJ222$13.7M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Bergen County, NJ2,6592,812-153+$481K
Essex County, NJ1,1841,347-163+$719K
Morris County, NJ7201,255-535-$75.3M
Hudson County, NJ871614+257+$34.9M
Bronx County, NY641245+396+$17.9M
Sussex County, NJ182406-224-$16.3M
New York County, NY348234+114+$1.5M
Queens County, NY317155+162+$16.1M
Union County, NJ212246-34-$3.2M
Kings County, NY284157+127+$11.2M
Ocean County, NJ115304-189-$25.5M
Middlesex County, NJ192222-30-$427K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$2.5B (-61,236 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$145.5M-4,501
2013-$157.6M-4,141
2014-$162M-4,621
2015-$105.3M-3,749
2016-$227.4M-5,196
2017-$227.4M-6,163
2018-$199.5M-4,667
2019-$215.8M-4,855
2020-$196.5M-5,196
2021-$267.1M-5,528
2022-$344.3M-7,151
2023-$224.5M-5,468
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 5,468 more people left Passaic County, NJ than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $224.5M in income (nominal) — in a county of 524,011 people.

Population
524,011
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-10.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -104 people.
Net income per resident
−$428
nominal dollars
-$224.5M total across 524,011 residents.

The rate lets you compare Passaic County, NJ with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+6,391
Deaths
-3,833
Net domestic migration
-6,577
Net international migration
+11,007
Total change
+7,070

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Passaic County, NJ run about 13% above the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $89 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$59,938
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
14% below the U.S. average
Price level
112.6
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 12.6% higher than average
What that income buys
$53,210
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
24% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents149.7
Goods108.3
Utilities129.1
Other services106.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Passaic County, NJ

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
38.1
years
Median household income
$87,137
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
11% above the U.S. median
College degree
30%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
13.7%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
27 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
92%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 39%Hispanic 43%Black 10%Asian 5%Other 2%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$439,400
owner-occupied homes
45% above the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,553
gross rent per month
15% above the U.S. median
Homeownership
53%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+8.7%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+46%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
784new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 25%Multifamily 75%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
5.1%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
274,123
260,206 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
4.6%
April 2026 · ▼ 1.0 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Passaic County, NJ has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202495,156100,9546,657R +2.9202,767
2020129,09792,0092,601D +16.6223,707
2016116,75972,9025,141D +22.5194,802
2012115,92664,5231,539D +28.2181,988
2008113,25772,552387D +21.9186,196
200494,96275,2001,149D +11.5171,311
200090,32461,0435,206D +18.7156,573

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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