Moving to
Somerset.

All Somerset data Compare Somerset

22,720people live here $121,028median household income▲ 50% above US $2,121median rent per month▲ 50% above US $438,800median home value▲ 32% above US

Somerset is an unincorporated community in Somerset 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 Somerset

Somerset 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. Somerset deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, long average commutes, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

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
Long commutes
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Somerset compares

Median household income

Somerset$121,028

New Jersey avg$103,556

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Somerset$2,121

New Jersey avg$1,720

US$1,413

Median home value

Somerset$438,800

New Jersey avg$454,400

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Somerset

Based on Somerset's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,242

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $84,840 a year
53% of Somerset renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$87,760

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $43,880
Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 50% above US

$2,121/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,121 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 run above average, with a median around $438,800. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $438,800 · 53% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Somerset County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Somerset County (county-wide)

Safety

28 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Somerset doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Franklin Township Police Department, Somerset County 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 403/100k · Policed by Franklin Township Police Department, Somerset County (township-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 36% above US

35 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 35.3 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. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% take public transit; 20% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

66%

Work from home

20%

Public transit

6.6%

Carpool

5.5%

Walk

1.0%

Other

0.4%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 72% above US

62% 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

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1, 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 Morristown National Historical Park (19 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Somerset'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 ($2,121/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.

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