What it's like to live in Cliffside Park
Cliffside Park is a small city in New Jersey with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cliffside Park deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and long average commutes.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
- Public transit that many commuters use
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Long commutes
How Cliffside Park compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cliffside Park
Based on Cliffside Park's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,674
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $73,480 a year
- 49% of Cliffside Park renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$117,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $58,820
- Homes cost 6.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 30% above US
$1,837/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,837 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $588,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $588,200 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.2% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 75% below US
84 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 635/100k · Cliffside Park Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 37% above US
36 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 35.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% take public transit; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 30°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 17% above US
42% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is General Grant National Memorial (1 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Cliffside Park's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,837/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home), and people who would rather not drive. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
See all the data for Cliffside Park →·All New Jersey cities →
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