Paterson, New Jersey population is 161,793 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #165 nationally and #3 in New Jersey. Cost of living runs 13% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $120,517/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
161,793
+56 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 112.6
+13% vs US
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$120,517/yr
+50% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$55,997
−28% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$360,100
+19% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$2,324/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
87°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
93%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Paterson?
161,793 people live in Paterson as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #165 largest U.S. city.
Source detail
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 1.3% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 159,761 → 2025: 161,793 (+1.3%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
159,761
April 1, 2020
2020
159,276
July 1, 2020
2021
158,074
July 1, 2021
2022
157,410
July 1, 2022
2023
159,570
July 1, 2023
2024
161,737
July 1, 2024
2025
161,793
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population shrank 0.6% from 2010 to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Paterson is the #165 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #3 in New Jersey.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
159,761
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+2,032
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+1.3%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+56
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.0%
within V2025 only
Density
19,231
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
8.4
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#165
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#3
of 323 in New Jersey
What is the median household income in Paterson?
Median household income is 28% below the U.S. median ($55,997 vs $77,719); 21.2% live in poverty — 8.7 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$55,997
US
Paterson: $55,997 — 28% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Paterson
$55,997
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Paterson from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
55,997-27.9% vs US
±3,427
Per capita income
24,403-43.6% vs US
±836
Population in poverty
21.2%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 19% above the U.S. median ($360,100 vs $303,400); median rent is 15% above ($1,548 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 6.4×, making it 1.6× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$360,100
US
Paterson: $360,100 — 19% above the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$2,324/mo
US
Paterson: $2,324/mo — 116% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Paterson. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
7.7%
Paterson (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
75,999
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
5.2%-62.7% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Paterson sits in Passaic County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Passaic County
12.1%
$85,224
5.3%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Paterson's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
30,642
$1,119 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
22,488
$846 / wk
#3
Manufacturing (31-33)
18,322
$1,504 / wk
#4
Administrative and waste services (56)
12,990
$915 / wk
#5
Accommodation and food services (72)
11,394
$570 / wk
What workers earn in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the largest tracked occupation in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro (644,700 jobs, median $39,680/yr).
▸ Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
644,700
$39,680
$19.08
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
183,030
$42,840
$20.60
Cashiers
173,830
$35,950
$17.28
Fast Food and Counter Workers
166,040
$35,420
$17.03
Security Guards
142,760
$43,980
$21.15
Waiters and Waitresses
138,720
$47,610
$22.89
Office Clerks, General
136,580
$47,670
$22.92
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
202,080
$38,280
$18.40
Registered Nurses · benchmark
197,740
$119,720
$57.56
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
177,850
$157,000
$75.48
Software Developers · benchmark
121,000
$166,830
$80.21
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
98,900
$96,900
—
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
All items run 12.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 112.6); rents run 48.6% above (RPP 148.6) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 112.6
US
Paterson's cost of living runs 12.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 112.6 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 112.6
+12.6% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$2,324/mo
FY2026 · Bergen-Passaic, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
10.75%
7 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$10,043/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$5,465/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in New Jersey · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
44.6% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (58.0% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Paterson's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (87°F avg high). Coldest: January (23°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 48.1 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Paterson from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 95.8/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Strong Wind (99.0).
Natural-hazard exposure for Paterson from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Passaic County
95.8
Relatively High
Strong Wind 99.0 Very High · Lightning 97.8 Very High · Riverine Flooding 97.8 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Paterson?
9 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 93% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Paterson from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
9 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
7
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
94.2%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
92.7%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
53,025
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Paterson?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 1,555 violent and 3,736 property offenses in the Paterson jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 978.6 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Paterson — an FBI jurisdiction population of 158,903, versus the Census place population of 161,793. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
1,555
978.6
359.1
Property crime
3,736
2,351.1
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 2-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
10
Rape
59
Robbery
393
Aggravated assault
1,093
Burglary
572
Larceny-theft
2,353
Motor vehicle theft
811
Arson (12-month reporters only)
14
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2023
903.9
2,445.7
155,991
2024
978.6
2,351.1
158,903
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2023–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Paterson · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Paterson sits at state rank #3 among 323 cities in New Jersey. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Palmdale, CA · #164 · 161,845 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Corona, CA · #166 · 161,734 residents.
Quick travel facts for Paterson
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Teterboro Airport(TEB) ·
7 mi 11 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
May · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Paterson.
How many people live in Paterson, NJ?
Paterson has 161,793 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #165 largest city in the United States and #3 in New Jersey. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Paterson growing or shrinking?
Paterson has grown 1.3% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 2,032 residents, including a 0.0% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Paterson's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for Paterson is 3457000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
