Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home in New Jersey
What a household has to earn to buy the county's own median home under the standard 28% rule, meaning housing costs at no more than 28% of gross income, counting the full monthly bill rather than just the mortgage. These are the counties where the entry ticket is steepest.
New Jersey ranked
| # | County | Income needed | Monthly to own | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bergen County | $209,000 | $4,875 | $593,200 |
| 2 | Monmouth County | $201,500 | $4,703 | $566,500 |
| 3 | Morris County | $199,000 | $4,643 | $557,000 |
| 4 | Somerset County | $190,000 | $4,430 | $523,900 |
| 5 | Hudson County | $183,500 | $4,283 | $508,600 |
| 6 | Hunterdon County | $183,000 | $4,269 | $498,800 |
| 7 | Essex County | $181,500 | $4,241 | $494,400 |
| 8 | Union County | $180,000 | $4,205 | $488,800 |
| 9 | Passaic County | $166,500 | $3,888 | $439,400 |
| 10 | Middlesex County | $165,500 | $3,861 | $439,300 |
| 11 | Mercer County | $138,000 | $3,221 | $351,000 |
| 12 | Cape May County | $137,500 | $3,206 | $395,000 |
| 13 | Sussex County | $134,500 | $3,139 | $342,800 |
| 14 | Ocean County | $134,000 | $3,129 | $366,600 |
| 15 | Burlington County | $128,000 | $2,990 | $326,700 |
| 16 | Warren County | $128,000 | $2,988 | $323,100 |
| 17 | Gloucester County | $116,500 | $2,718 | $283,500 |
| 18 | Camden County | $111,000 | $2,589 | $262,200 |
| 19 | Atlantic County | $109,000 | $2,547 | $272,700 |
| 20 | Salem County | $95,500 | $2,229 | $223,000 |
| 21 | Cumberland County | $84,500 | $1,975 | $205,600 |
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
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in New Jersey