Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety84#2,464/15,637
Economy68#5,013/15,631
Housing37#9,473/14,977
Health88#1,928/15,609
Healthcare84#2,569/15,650
Environment35#10,074/15,453
Education79#3,337/15,649
Infrastructure51#7,667/15,650
Community54#7,155/15,651
Leisure & amenities40#9,371/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Avenel, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Middlesex County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Depression · low12.8%
100/100New Jersey 15.6%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
97/100New Jersey 11 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMiddlesex County value
Public transit commuters · high7.3%
96/100New Jersey 8.1%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Injury deaths · low53 /100k
94/100New Jersey 65 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMiddlesex County value
Firearm deaths · low3.9 /100k
93/100New Jersey 4.0 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMiddlesex County value
Premature death · low5,073 /100k
92/100New Jersey 6,017 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMiddlesex County value

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high31.6 min
7/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · high1.92%
9/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Social associations · low6.1 /10k
12/100New Jersey 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMiddlesex County value
Comfortable days · low23.5%
13/100New Jersey 24.9%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMiddlesex County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low2.3 /10k
16/100New Jersey 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMiddlesex County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high204 min
19/100New Jersey 185 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMiddlesex County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
18,592 (2015-2019) → 17,121 (2020-2024)
−7.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$70,035 (2015-2019) → $101,670 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
24.8% (2015-2019) → 31.8% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Public transit commutersWorsening
13.2% (2015-2019) → 7.3% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
91.5% (2015-2019) → 87.0% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.8% (2015-2019) → 88.4% (2020-2024)
+3.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Avenel, New Jersey improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Property tax−0.7 points2.62% → 1.92%
Household income+45%$70,035 → $101,670
Uninsured−3.4 points8.0% → 4.6%
Bachelor's++7.1 points24.8% → 31.8%

Declined1

Transit use−5.9 points13.2% → 7.3%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Avenel, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	36.4 min2015-2019	31.6 min2020-2024	−4.9 min	Within the margin of error	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.8%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	84.8%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Child poverty rate	10.5%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	2.62%2015-2019	1.92%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	97%
High school diploma or higher	91.5%2015-2019	87.0%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4092015-2019	0.4212020-2024	+0.013	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$70,0352015-2019	$101,6702020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Poverty rate	8.5%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Public transit commuters	13.2%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Declined	5%
Rent as share of income	26.2%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent-burdened households	44.5%2015-2019	41.4%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Unemployment rate	5.4%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Improved	79%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Avenel, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Avenel, New Jersey in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Avenel, New Jersey itself moved −2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

17,121 residents (±1,128)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59
40–49†
30–39
20–29
10–19†
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 men (−2.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

17,121 residents (±1,128)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White28%4,780
Black27%4,579
Hispanic or Latino25%4,338

Education

12,939 residents (±795)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma13%1,681
High school or GED34%4,377
Some college13%1,716

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,615 households (±497)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k8.4%†473
$25k–50k16%†872
$50k–75k9.7%†544
$75k–100k15%843
$100k–150k23%1,271
$150k–200k9.7%†545
$200k or more19%1,067

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+13.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,615 households (±497)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own52%2,939
Rent48%2,676

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,641 households (±502)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0004.5%†119
$1,000–1,50019%†506

Home values

2,939 homes (±359)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k12%†355
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k38%1,106

Age of homes

5,741 homes (±490)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later13%†745
2000–20096.6%†380
1980–199928%1,596

Size of homes

5,741 homes (±490)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio3.2%†185
1 bedroom26%†1,464
2 bedrooms32%1,811

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,603 workers (±677)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone73%5,549
Carpool7.2%†548
Public transit7.3%†555
Walk1.3%†101
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.8%747
Other1.4%†103

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+6.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

6,856 workers (±608)

Avenel, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min21%1,406
15–29 min29%1,985
30–44 min27%1,832

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Middlesex County, the county holding most of Avenel's residents.

Middlesex County has 22,314 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.01× New Jersey's), with 434,143 paid employees at an average annual pay of $77,557. The Census Bureau also counts 82,101 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 22,314; 82,101 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 434,143
Average annual pay: $77,557; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Middlesex County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Computer systems design and related services	1,983	22.7	5.24×More than typical	37,086	$106,772	2,301
Ambulatory health care services	1,966	22.5	1.08×About typical	20,279	$64,203	3,408
Restaurants and other eating places	1,585	18.1	0.99×About typical	20,549	$25,512	520
Specialty trade contractors	988	11.3	0.73×Fewer than typical	10,862	$81,369	3,097
Truck transportation	808	9.3	1.83×More than typical	9,620	$61,733	4,255
Limited-service restaurants	709	8.1	1.01×About typical	8,337	$23,749	201
Lessors of real estate	696	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	4,925	$73,373	9,176
Management, scientific and technical consulting	691	7.9	1.18×About typical	5,298	$97,375	3,711
Offices of physicians	680	7.8	1.20×About typical	5,739	$89,466	640
Full-service restaurants	660	7.6	0.98×About typical	9,614	$28,639	232
Personal care services	636	7.3	1.53×More than typical	3,179	$23,497	1,768
Services to buildings and dwellings	572	6.6	0.97×About typical	5,046	$44,023	2,681

Rank places for an industry Open Middlesex County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 873,281 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $6.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Avenel, New Jersey: $393 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $6.7M; −15% vs FY2025
Per resident: $393; US $1,994
Sole-source: 95%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$4.7M70%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.6M23%
U.S. Coast Guard$384.9K5.7%
United States Mint$43.4K0.6%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$29.8K0.4%

Top recipients

AVIONIC INSTRUMENTS LLC$6.6M99%
TRIMAN INDUSTRIES INC$49.3K0.7%
ACV ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES INC$43.4K0.6%
HERITAGE INTERIORS LLC$29.8K0.4%
874 US 1 LLC$3,9280.1%
DIVERSIFIED SETTLEMENT SERVICES, INC.

Spending by fiscal year

3.1MFY2017
6.3MFY2018
7MFY2019
5.8MFY2020
3.1MFY2021
7MFY2022
7MFY2023
11.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$6.1M90%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$363.8K5.4%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$243.4K3.6%
Waste collection · 5621$43.4K0.6%
Specialized design services · 5414$29.8K0.4%
Traveler accommodation · 7211$3,928

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Avenel, New Jersey

INVERTER,AIRCRAFT,M$4.5M
AVIONIC INSTRUMENTS LLC· Middlesex County, NJ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· May 1, 2024 – Oct 6, 2025· N0038324CN024
INVERTER,AIRCRAFT,M$3.4M
AVIONIC INSTRUMENTS LLC· Middlesex County, NJ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Mar 17, 2025 – Apr 16, 2026· N0038325CN019
INVERTER,AIRCRAFT,M$2.5M
AVIONIC INSTRUMENTS LLC· Middlesex County, NJ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Mar 17, 2025 – Jun 10, 2026· N0038325CN018
INVERTER,AIRCRAFT,M

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Avenel, New Jersey, so they do not add up across cities.

Avenel, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Middlesex County, NJ ($395.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Avenel is mostly in Middlesex County.

See federal money in Middlesex County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Avenel, New Jersey is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Middlesex County81100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68

Other cities and towns in Middlesex County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3402350

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends