Census-designated place · Sussex County, New Jersey

Vernon Valley, New Jersey

Vernon Valley is a census-designated place in Sussex County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 1,532 residents. Vernon Valley, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,029 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #120 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), violent crime rate (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (low). It ranks worst on unemployment rate (high), effective property tax rate (high) and average commute time (high).

93Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,029 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #120 of 552 in NJ
Population: 1,532 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 574.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 3475750

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety99#106/15,637
Economy70#4,672/15,631
Housing—
Health87#1,993/15,609
Healthcare66#5,265/15,650
Environment85#2,293/15,453
Education88#1,832/15,649
Infrastructure58#6,586/15,650
Community84#2,517/15,651
Leisure & amenities65#5,507/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Vernon Valley, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Sussex 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

Property crime rate · low307 /100k
97/100New Jersey 1,250 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSussex County value
Violent crime rate · low56 /100k
96/100New Jersey 194 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSussex County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low1.0%
95/100New Jersey 9.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Students per teacher · low10.9×
94/100New Jersey 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSussex County value
Food environment index · high9.2
92/100New Jersey 9.3United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSussex County value
Drug overdose deaths · low7.5 /100k
92/100New Jersey 15.8 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSussex County value

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high19.5%
1/100New Jersey 5.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Effective property tax rate · high2.13%
5/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average commute time · high37.6 min
8/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drought exposure · high74%
20/100New Jersey 61%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASussex County value
Distance to an emergency room · high9.1 mi
20/100New Jersey 3.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSussex County value
Pharmacies · low1.1 /10k
21/100New Jersey 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSussex County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,448 (2015-2019) → 1,532 (2020-2024)
+5.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Unemployment rateWorsening
1.1% (2015-2019) → 19.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
25.5% (2015-2019) → 41.3% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
12.9% (2015-2019) → 1.0% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.1× (2015-2019) → 3.1× (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
90.9% (2015-2019) → 97.4% (2020-2024)
+6.5 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, Vernon Valley, New Jersey improved on 1 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 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.

Improved1

Bachelor's++16 points25.5% → 41.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Vernon Valley, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	41.0 min2015-2019	37.6 min2020-2024	−3.4 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.5%2015-2019	41.3%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	98%
Broadband subscriptions	90.9%2015-2019	97.4%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Effective property tax rate	2.95%2015-2019	2.13%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	98%
High school diploma or higher	95.2%2015-2019	99.2%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	25%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.2982015-2019	0.3352020-2024	+0.038	Within the margin of error	22%
Median household income	$110,5772015-2019	$121,2502020-2024	+9.7%	Within the margin of error	16%

“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 Vernon Valley, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Vernon Valley, 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, Vernon Valley, New Jersey itself moved +2.4 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,532 residents (±319)

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: 50–59 men (−9.9 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

1,532 residents (±319)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White91%1,387
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino9.0%†138

Education

1,052 residents (±194)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma0.8%†8
High school or GED37%†393
Some college13%

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

538 households (±97)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k14%†73
$25k–50k2.0%†11
$50k–75k18%†97
$75k–100k12%†64
$100k–150k26%†141
$150k–200k14%†78
$200k or more14%†74

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

† 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

538 households (±97)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own100%538
Rent0.0%0

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

13 households (±20)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0
$1,500–2,000

Home values

538 homes (±97)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k1.9%†10
$150k–250k12%†62
$250k–400k48%†259

Age of homes

538 homes (±97)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20090.0%0
1980–199941%†219

Size of homes

538 homes (±97)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio2.0%†11
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms0.0%0

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

578 workers (±168)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone75%†436
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home19%†108
Other5.9%†34

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+12.8 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

470 workers (±148)

Vernon Valley, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min19%†89
15–29 min16%†73
30–44 min22%†

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 Sussex County, the county holding most of Vernon Valley's residents.

Sussex County has 3,184 employer establishments, 218 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.86× New Jersey's), with 32,211 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,793. The Census Bureau also counts 13,094 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,184; 13,094 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 218; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 32,211
Average annual pay: $55,793; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	346	23.6	1.53×More than typical	1,874	$78,902	1,100
Ambulatory health care services	263	18	0.86×About typical	2,220	$56,428	587
Restaurants and other eating places	239	16.3	0.89×About typical	2,618	$24,003	60
Building equipment contractors	165	11.3	1.87×More than typical	1,019	$81,945	267
Services to buildings and dwellings	158	10.8	1.60×More than typical	671	$46,669	535
Construction of buildings	132	9	1.19×About typical	469	$67,670	404
Full-service restaurants	114	7.8	1.01×About typical	1,492	$25,719	19
Personal care services	110	7.5	1.58×More than typical	584	$23,418	229
Landscaping services	107	7.3	2.09×More than typical	462	$52,563	188
Offices of other health practitioners	96	6.6	1.08×About typical	677	$43,440	357
Automotive repair and maintenance	95	6.5	1.29×More than typical	353	$50,054	140
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	91	6.2	1.88×More than typical	567	$83,519	137

Rank places for an industry Open Sussex County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 146,328 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Sussex 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.

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