Packanacklake, 2006
Packanack Lake’s story
90 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006.
- 1936Packanack Lake is settled
Packanack LakeNJ
Today 6,321 people live in this town, first settled in 1936.
1 bordering townMap →
Population
6,321
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$601K
Census ACS
Household income
$213K
median
Median age
41.3
years
Jobs based here
1,666
A commuter town
Is Packanack Lake a good place to live?
Packanack Lake’s median rent is $3,501 a month, above both the New Jersey town median ($1,778 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 4 of the 469 New Jersey towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Packanack Lake. The biggest park or preserve is Tall Oaks Park, at 47 acres. We don’t grade Packanack Lake yet; the figures below are still real.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Packanack Lake for work
Where Packanack Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,666jobs based in Packanack Lake
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Nearby attractions
All 634 attractions →Madison Square Garden and 540 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Packanack Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw19 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw19 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw19 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaYankee StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Packanack Lake: who provides what
Packanack Lake is unincorporated, so Passaic County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPSE&G25.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTownship of Wayne water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPassaic CountyPassaic County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New Jersey you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePassaic County ClerkPassaic County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code0747007470 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Packanack Lake.
Work & commute
Most of Packanack Lake’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.5 jobs for each of them
Only 1% of working residents stay in Packanack Lake for work; the rest commute out. The town’s middle household income comes in at $213,000. Employers in Packanack Lake added 645 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,666. 1.6% of residents live below the poverty line here.
1%work in town
| Packanack Lake | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $213,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.6% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Packanack Lake1%
Wayne Township12%
New York12%
Paterson4%
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township4%
12 mi
median commute distance
1,666
jobs based in Packanack Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Packanack Lake
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 21°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
24″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring40–61°
Summer62–84°
Fall44–65°
Oct 28
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Packanack Lake has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
82% of Packanack Lake’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1978: 26.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
26
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Packanack Lake is
The share of adults in Packanack Lake who smoke cigarettes: 7.4%. Of 32 CDC measures, Packanack Lake beats the New Jersey average on 20 and trails it on 2.
| Packanack Lake | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New Jersey
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Packanack Lake | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 14.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 7.5% |
Chilton Medical Center
3.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Packanack Lake has set aside 3.9% of its land for conservation
Trails run 0.6 miles in 6 parks and preserves. Packanack Lake’s trail density stands at 0.3 miles per square mile.
3.9%conserved
| Packanack Lake | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
3.9%
conserved · 50 of 1,268 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Peninsula West | 0.3 mi | 4 |
| 2. Tall Oaks Park | — | 47 |
| 3. Orange Place Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
A home in Packanack Lake sells for about $806K at the median
Packanack Lake: 96% of households live in a home they own.
$806Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Packanack Lake
16pages on Packanack Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
23 within 15 miles of the center of Packanack Lake
William Paterson University of New JerseyUniversity or college · Public · Wayne2.9 mi$15,704 in-state tuitionBerkeley College-Woodland ParkUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Woodland Park4.4 mi$29,800 tuitionPassaic County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Paterson4.8 mi$6,300 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Packanack Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
About Packanack Lake
Populated place in Passaic County, New Jersey, US
Packanack Lake is an unincorporated lake community and census-designated place (CDP) in Wayne in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is located 30 minutes northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, Packanack Lake had a population of 6,261. The median income in Packanack Lake was $100,887, and the average income of households with children was $140,869. 95.9% of Packanack area residents are high school graduates while 57.5% are college graduates. 77.4% of residents are married. 41.4% of residents had children. The average age of residents was 40.6 years old. Gatherings and social events are held on both East Beach (on Lake Drive East) and West Beach (on Lake Dr…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 203 ft
Packanack Lake’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Packanack Lake.
PreaknessPackanack Lake
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packanack Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Preakness | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Packanack Lake and Preakness aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Packanack Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Packanack Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Packanack Lake, NJ a good place to live?
We don’t grade Packanack Lake yet; the figures below are still real.