Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 35/100
F
Median home value$461,900
New York $614,200
Median rent$1,711/mo
New York $1,830/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
New York 42%
Clifton
Passaic County89,379 residentsClifton Public School District
53
C−
Suburbgrade score
28th of 60 New York suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
53
New York median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Clifton yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 53 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Clifton is like to live in, by category
Bars show Clifton against New York. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Within-state proficiency29th pct
New York median 35th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.1
New York median 11.6
Graduation rate85%
New York median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index92
New York 100
Eff. tax rate2.12%
New York 1.37%
Local sales tax6.60%
New York median 8.54%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 51/100
D+
Mean commute28.3 min
New York 35.6 min
Under 30 minutes62%
New York 44%
Transit stops / sq mi3.2
New York median 2.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés76
New York median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
New York median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks62
New York median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 45/100
D
Median household income$98,237
New York $99,155
Unemployment7.1%
New York 6.8%
Professional occupations42%
New York 48%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Clifton yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Clifton on housing & affordability
Clifton's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Westfield17 mi from CliftonB− 70 B− Hoboken11 mi from CliftonC 69 B− New City22 mi from CliftonC 54 C− Fair Lawn6 mi from CliftonC− 65 C+ White Plains24 mi from CliftonD 56 C− New Rochelle20 mi from CliftonD 55 C− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Clifton
Is Clifton, NJ a good place to live?
Clifton scores 53 out of 100, 28th of 60 New York suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Clifton expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $461,900, 25% below the New York median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.12%. $1,711/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Clifton?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Clifton sit at the 29th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 85% graduation rate and a 11.1 student–teacher ratio. Clifton is served by Clifton Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Clifton?
The mean commute is 28.3 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 12% working from home. Transit density is 3.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Clifton?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 76 restaurants and cafés and 62 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Clifton old or new?
The median home in Clifton was built in 1951 — older than the New York median of 1960. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 53% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.