Best PlacesDowntown Paterson, Paterson, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Paterson, Paterson, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Paterson, Paterson ranks 5,559th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Paterson, Paterson
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Paterson, Paterson's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Paterson, Paterson ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.6 minutes each way, better than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Paterson, Paterson ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Paterson, Paterson
A household needs to earn about $126,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Paterson, Paterson home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $42,819, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Paterson, Paterson's effective rate of 2.32%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Paterson, Paterson
Downtown Paterson, Paterson runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Paterson, Paterson.
Who works in Downtown Paterson, Paterson, and how
Work in Downtown Paterson, Paterson centers on hospitality & food and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 26%
Life in Downtown Paterson, Paterson
Downtown Paterson, Paterson has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 28 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Paterson, Paterson and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Paterson, Paterson, month by month
Downtown Paterson, Paterson sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Paterson, Paterson
Newark Liberty International sits about 15 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 23.5 million passengers in 2025, with 242 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown Paterson, Paterson
Schools across Downtown Paterson, Paterson average a D, better than 13% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- School 28A · 70% proficient
- Norman S. WeirD+ · 22% proficient
- School 5D− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Joseph A. Taub SchoolD− · 17% proficient
- Young Men's AcademyF · 12% proficient
- New Roberto ClementeF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Paterson P-techD · 22% proficient
- International High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
- John F. Kennedy High SchoolF · 7% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Paterson, Paterson school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Paterson, Paterson measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Paterson, Paterson against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Paterson, Paterson
Is Downtown Paterson, Paterson a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Paterson, Paterson ranks 5,559th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, big-city access, and fast internet, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Paterson, Paterson expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $398,500. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $42,819 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Paterson, Paterson safe?
Downtown Paterson, Paterson is safer than 14% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $546 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Paterson, Paterson with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Paterson, Paterson. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Paterson, Paterson represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Paterson, Paterson detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Paterson, Paterson: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Paterson, Paterson: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Paterson, Paterson: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Paterson, Paterson: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Paterson, Paterson detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.