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Moving to
Preakness.
Preakness is an unincorporated community in Passaic County, NJ. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Preakness
Preakness is an unincorporated community in New Jersey with household incomes running above 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. Preakness deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Above-average commute times
- Cold winters
How Preakness compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Preakness
Based on Preakness's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,836
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $76,720 a year
- 50% of Preakness renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$123,540
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $61,770
- Homes cost 4.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 36% above US
$1,918/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,918 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $617,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $617,700 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
6.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Passaic County is 6.0%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Passaic County (county-wide)
Safety
93 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Preakness doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Wayne Township Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1787/100k · Policed by Wayne Township Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% take public transit; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 59% above US
57% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, 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 Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (3 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Preakness's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,918/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Preakness
All New Jersey guides →Moving to Woodland Park →
3 mi away · pop. 13,355
Rent $1,839/mo · Income $98,845
Compare with Preakness →Moving to Lincoln Park →
4 mi away · pop. 10,957
Rent $1,857/mo · Income $123,397
Compare with Preakness →Not sure Preakness is the one?
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