Paterson vs Jersey City
Side-by-side comparison across six federal data streams. Paterson edges out Jersey City on the composite MoveScore (56 vs 55).
| Metric | Paterson | Jersey City |
|---|---|---|
| MoveScore (Composite) | 56/100 (D) | 55/100 (D) |
| Safety (FBI UCR) | 45/100 (D) | 55/100 (C) |
| Violent Crime / 100k | 665 | 575 |
| Water (EPA SDWIS) | N/A | N/A |
| Air (EPA AQS median AQI) | N/A | N/A |
| Schools (NCES) | N/A | N/A |
| Fiscal Health (Census) | 64/100 · $16,110 pc | 70/100 · $21,136 pc |
| Hospitals (CMS HCAHPS) | 3.0/5 · 1 tracked | 2.0/5 · 2 tracked |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is a better place to live, Paterson or Jersey City?
Paterson edges out Jersey City on the composite MoveScore (56 vs 55). The honest answer depends on what you weight most. Paterson and Jersey City each have different strengths across the six federal data streams — see the breakdown above and decide which trade-offs fit your priorities.
Are Paterson and Jersey City in the same state?
Yes, both cities are in New Jersey.
Where does the data come from?
All sub-scores trace to federal government sources: FBI UCR for safety, EPA SDWIS for water, EPA AQS for air, NCES/EDFacts for schools, Census ASPEP for fiscal health, and CMS HCAHPS for hospitals.
Side-by-side comparisons use the same six federal data streams as full city profiles. Bold entries indicate the better value on each metric.
The side-by-side above pulls the federal datasets including BLS, Census ACS, FBI Crime Data, NOAA Climate Normals, and NCES data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
For households or analysts using this comparison as a decision input, the right framing is usually not "which is better" in aggregate but "which is better for the specific decision in front of you." federal datasets including BLS, Census ACS, FBI Crime Data, NOAA Climate Normals, and NCES captures the raw data; the framing depends on whether the question is investment, residency, planning, or research.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (cost), Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, 2026.