Best PlacesDowntown Trenton, Trenton, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Trenton, Trenton, 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 Trenton, Trenton ranks 5,838th 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 Trenton, Trenton
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 Trenton, Trenton's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Trenton, Trenton ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 66% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 66% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Trenton, Trenton ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- School gradeF, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Household income$34,536 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Trenton, Trenton
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Trenton, Trenton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $34,536, 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 Trenton, Trenton's effective rate of 1.93%, 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 Trenton, Trenton
Downtown Trenton, Trenton's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Trenton, Trenton.
Who works in Downtown Trenton, Trenton, and how
Work in Downtown Trenton, Trenton centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 59%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 31%
Life in Downtown Trenton, Trenton
Downtown Trenton, Trenton has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 41 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Trenton, Trenton and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Trenton, Trenton, month by month
Downtown Trenton, Trenton sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 89° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Trenton, Trenton
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 34 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Trenton, Trenton
Schools across Downtown Trenton, Trenton average an F, better than 3% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Gregory Elementary SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hedgepeth Williams Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Dunn Middle SchoolF · 8% proficient
- Clara Parker Elementary SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Trenton Central High School - Main CampusF · 5% proficient
- Daylight/twilight High SchoolF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Trenton, Trenton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Trenton, Trenton 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 Trenton, Trenton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Trenton, Trenton
Is Downtown Trenton, Trenton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Trenton, Trenton ranks 5,838th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, big-city access, and biking, and lowest on state finances and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Trenton, Trenton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $307,794. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $34,536 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Trenton, Trenton safe?
Downtown Trenton, Trenton is safer than 20% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $464 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Trenton, Trenton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Trenton, Trenton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Trenton, Trenton 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 Trenton, Trenton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Trenton, Trenton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Trenton, Trenton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Trenton, Trenton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Trenton, Trenton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Trenton, Trenton 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.