Overview / New Jersey

Middlesex

county · 15 metrics · 5y change · report

Median gross rent
$1,810
+23.2% over 5y · rank 8/21
Median household income
$109,028
+21.8% over 5y · rank 12/21
Median owner-occupied home value
$439,300
+27.7% over 5y · rank 12/21
Total population
861,535
+4.3% over 5y · rank 6/21
Renters paying over 30% of income on housing
0.44
-1.6% over 5y · rank 12/21
Area median income (HUD)
$146,200
+22.3% over 5y · rank 9/21
Low-income limit, 80% AMI, 4-person household
$104,800
+27.0% over 5y · rank 3/21
Net migration, tax returns
-3,660
+12.5% over 5y · rank 14/21
Residential units permitted
1,971
-36.7% over 5y · rank 19/21
Home value to area median income
3.71
+13.1% over 5y · rank 8/21
Home value to household income
4.55
+9.1% over 5y · rank 7/21
Annual rent to household income
0.26
+7.4% over 5y · rank 7/16
Unemployment rate
4.4%
-31.3% over 5y · rank 10/21
Home value index, single-family
$592,229
+36.8% over 5y · rank 11/21
Observed rent index, all homes
$2,566
+34.5% over 5y · rank 7/17

Home value index, single-family

Home value index, single-family · 318 observations
$150,079$388,369$626,6602000-012026-06

Hover the chart for a value.

Show the underlying values and their sources
PeriodValueSourceMatched by
2026-06-01$592,229zillow_zhvifips
2026-05-01$593,071zillow_zhvifips
2026-04-01$593,792zillow_zhvifips
2026-03-01$593,156zillow_zhvifips
2026-02-01$590,185zillow_zhvifips
2026-01-01$587,066zillow_zhvifips
2025-12-01$584,453zillow_zhvifips
2025-11-01$581,569zillow_zhvifips
2025-10-01$579,091zillow_zhvifips
2025-09-01$577,323zillow_zhvifips
2025-08-01$576,858zillow_zhvifips
2025-07-01$576,856zillow_zhvifips
2025-06-01$576,819zillow_zhvifips
2025-05-01$575,995zillow_zhvifips
2025-04-01$574,424zillow_zhvifips
2025-03-01$571,535zillow_zhvifips
2025-02-01$568,840zillow_zhvifips
2025-01-01$566,644zillow_zhvifips
2024-12-01$564,505zillow_zhvifips
2024-11-01$561,782zillow_zhvifips
2024-10-01$557,856zillow_zhvifips
2024-09-01$553,820zillow_zhvifips
2024-08-01$549,393zillow_zhvifips
2024-07-01$545,132zillow_zhvifips

Observed rent index, all homes

Observed rent index, all homes · 137 observations
$1,510$2,077$2,6442015-012026-06

Hover the chart for a value.

Show the underlying values and their sources
PeriodValueSourceMatched by
2026-06-01$2,566zillow_zorifips
2026-05-01$2,560zillow_zorifips
2026-04-01$2,546zillow_zorifips
2026-03-01$2,534zillow_zorifips
2026-02-01$2,522zillow_zorifips
2026-01-01$2,524zillow_zorifips
2025-12-01$2,531zillow_zorifips
2025-11-01$2,544zillow_zorifips
2025-10-01$2,552zillow_zorifips
2025-09-01$2,547zillow_zorifips
2025-08-01$2,541zillow_zorifips
2025-07-01$2,535zillow_zorifips
2025-06-01$2,528zillow_zorifips
2025-05-01$2,519zillow_zorifips
2025-04-01$2,503zillow_zorifips
2025-03-01$2,487zillow_zorifips
2025-02-01$2,475zillow_zorifips
2025-01-01$2,466zillow_zorifips
2024-12-01$2,465zillow_zorifips
2024-11-01$2,467zillow_zorifips
2024-10-01$2,468zillow_zorifips
2024-09-01$2,475zillow_zorifips
2024-08-01$2,466zillow_zorifips
2024-07-01$2,459zillow_zorifips

Median household income

Median household income · 5 observations
$87,973$99,281$110,5882015-012019-01

Hover the chart for a value.

Show the underlying values and their sources
PeriodValueSourceMatched by
2019-01-01$109,028census_acsfips
2018-01-01$105,206census_acsfips
2017-01-01$96,883census_acsfips
2016-01-01$91,731census_acsfips
2015-01-01$89,533census_acsfips

Current values

Each metric’s most recent reading, ranked against peers by value rather than by change. The MOD-IV assessment aggregates appear only here: they are a single published snapshot, and a change needs two observations.

MetricValueRankAs ofSource
Median gross rent$1,8105 / 212023-12-31census_acs
Median household income$109,0287 / 212023-12-31census_acs
Median owner-occupied home value$439,30010 / 212023-12-31census_acs
Total population861,5352 / 212023-12-31census_acs
Renters paying over 30% of income on housing0.444 / 212023-12-31census_acs
Area median income (HUD)$146,2001 / 212024-12-31hud
Low-income limit, 80% AMI, 4-person household$104,8002 / 212024-12-31hud
Net migration, tax returns-3,66019 / 212022-12-31irs_migration
Residential units permitted1,9719 / 212024-12-31census_permits
Home value to area median income3.7110 / 212024-12-31hip_derived
Home value to household income4.5513 / 212023-12-31hip_derived
Annual rent to household income0.2610 / 182023-12-31hip_derived
Unemployment rate4.4%10 / 212025-12-31bls
Home value index, single-family$592,22911 / 212026-06-30zillow_zhvi
Observed rent index, all homes$2,5668 / 192026-06-30zillow_zori

Interpretation

written by Gemma 4 E4B · ollama

The underlying figures have changed since this was written. Treat it as out of date until it is regenerated.

The housing market in Middlesex County has shown significant appreciation across several metrics. Over the 2019-2023 period, the median owner-occupied home value increased by 27.7%, while the median household income rose by 21.8%. This trend of rising wealth is mirrored in the Observed rent index, which saw a 34.5% increase between 2021 and 2026. Despite the sharp rise in costs, the percentage of renters paying over 30% of income on housing slightly decreased by 1.6% during the 2019-2023 window. Furthermore, the labor market improved, with the unemployment rate dropping by 31.2% from 6.4% to 4.4%.

However, the data highlights significant supply constraints. Residential units permitted dropped sharply by 36.7% between 2019 and 2024, ranking the region 19th out of 21 counties. While the total population increased by 4.3% (2019-2023), the net migration, tax returns showed a positive change of 12.5% (2018-2022), though its current value ranks 19th/21. The region's low-income limit, 80% AMI, 4-person household, showed a strong increase of 27.0% and ranks 3rd of 21, suggesting a relatively strong position compared to peers in this metric.

When interpreting these figures, it is important to note several caveats. The American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates overlap by four years, meaning consecutive estimates are not independent measurements. Additionally, the Observed rent index relies on a thinner base and ranks against a smaller cohort than the home-value index. Finally, affordability ratios are computed by the platform from two published series, not published by either source.

Generated by a local language model from this region's analysis packet. It is interpretation of computed metrics, not a measurement, and not advice.

Caveats