Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in New Jersey
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
New Jersey ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sussex County | 41.0" | Relatively Low | $342,800 |
| 2 | Burlington County | 42.8" | Relatively Moderate | $326,700 |
| 3 | Camden County | 42.8" | Relatively Moderate | $262,200 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | 43.4" | Relatively Moderate | $205,600 |
| 5 | Cape May County | 43.8" | Relatively Moderate | $395,000 |
| 6 | Gloucester County | 44.1" | Relatively Moderate | $283,500 |
| 7 | Essex County | 44.9" | Relatively High | $494,400 |
| 8 | Morris County | 44.9" | Relatively Moderate | $557,000 |
| 9 | Salem County | 45.3" | Relatively Low | $223,000 |
| 10 | Somerset County | 45.5" | Relatively Moderate | $523,900 |
| 11 | Mercer County | 45.6" | Relatively High | $351,000 |
| 12 | Atlantic County | 46.0" | Relatively Moderate | $272,700 |
| 13 | Bergen County | 46.3" | Relatively High | $593,200 |
| 14 | Hudson County | 46.6" | Relatively High | $508,600 |
| 15 | Passaic County | 48.2" | Relatively High | $439,400 |
| 16 | Warren County | 48.2" | Relatively Low | $323,100 |
| 17 | Monmouth County | 48.6" | Relatively High | $566,500 |
| 18 | Middlesex County | 49.5" | Relatively High | $439,300 |
| 19 | Union County | 50.4" | Relatively High | $488,800 |
| 20 | Hunterdon County | 50.9" | Relatively Low | $498,800 |
| 21 | Ocean County | 52.0" | Relatively High | $366,600 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in New Jersey