Prospect park nj, 2005
Prospect Park’s story
125 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,719 in 1910, 6,372 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
- 1901Prospect Park is settled
Population
6,450
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Typical home
$550K
+4.2% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
36.2
years
Jobs based here
615
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#438 of 466 in NJ
Is Prospect Park a good place to live?
Prospect Park earns a D−, ranked 438th of 466 in New Jersey, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its public schools trail 95% of New Jersey towns on state tests and graduation. The median household income is $53K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Prospect Park, above both New Jersey’s towns (6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 28 of New Jersey’s 530 towns do worse. Prospect Park's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns.
What makes Prospect Park stand out
Where Prospect Park beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 86% of U.S. towns
3% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Prospect Park Public School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect Park School No. 1 | PK–6 | 620 |
| Al-Hikmah Elementary School | PK–6 | 369 |
| Prospect Park Middle School | 7–8 | 143 |
Worth knowing · SchoolsD
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Prospect Park for work
Where Prospect Park’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
615jobs based in Prospect Park
4%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Prospect Park grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Prospect Park is from typical.
SchoolsDOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 14.2 of 20; 11.6% of households have no carAOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →HealthLess healthy than 75% of U.S. towns; Valley Hospital 5.4 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SafetyBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC−Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life2.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.2; 31% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 634 attractions →Central Park and 544 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Prospect Park. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw16 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw16 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaYankee StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 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
The full setup list →Moving to Prospect Park: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prospect Park, and how to reach them.
PowerPSE&G25.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPassaic Valley Water CommissionNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpEvery other week, SatCurbside recyclingTown site
SchoolsPassaic County Manchester Region School DistrictProspect Park Borough School District2 districts serve Prospect Park; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 code0750807508 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 Prospect Park.
Prospect Park is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s; it also has poverty well above the New Jersey rate.
SchoolsD
Prospect Park’s grade for schools is a D
Its public schools are run by the Prospect Park Public School District. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
5%of NJ districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect Park School No. 1Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 620 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
A larger share of adults in Prospect Park get no exercise outside work than in the typical New Jersey or U.S. town
Against the 6,819 U.S. towns with household incomes like Prospect Park’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
37% of Prospect Park adults get no exercise outside work. Prospect Park beats the New Jersey average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 40% of Prospect Park adults sleep under 7 hours.
25%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Prospect Park | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 11% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 33% |
32 measures vs. New Jersey
3 better9 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Prospect Park | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.3% | 22.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 33.6% | 14.3% |
Valley Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
5th
percentile among NJ towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
The median household income in Prospect Park is lower than in most of New Jersey or the rest of the country
Prospect Park has 615 jobs for its 2,821 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 22.9 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
Only 9 of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare have a lower median household income than Prospect Park. The average trip to work in Prospect Park is 23 minutes. Jobs based in Prospect Park grew to 615 in 2023, 89 more than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Prospect Park | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Prospect Park4%
Paterson11%
New York6%
Wayne Township5%
Paramus4%
8 mi
median commute distance
615
jobs based in Prospect Park
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Prospect Park
Prospect Park has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
24″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring40–61°
Summer62–84°
Fall45–65°
Oct 28
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
High risk in Prospect Park, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Prospect Park.
67risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat wavesCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 1999
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SafetyB
Less crime per resident in Prospect Park than in 55% of U.S. towns
At 16.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 63% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
55%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Prospect Park1.3
New Jersey2
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Prospect Park10.5
New Jersey12.7
U.S.15.5
55th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
37th
percentile among NJ towns
8
violent crimes reported in 2025
67
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade D
Homes in Prospect Park are worth about $550K, by Zillow’s estimate
72.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.6% across New Jersey.
The typical Prospect Park home is worth about $550,000, up 4.2% in a year, close to the New Jersey typical home. 42% of households own their home in Prospect Park.
$550KZillow home value
| Prospect Park | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,647 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Prospect Park$550K
New Jersey$575K
+4.2%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Prospect Park
18pages on Prospect Park
The big questions
SchoolsDBehind 95% of NJ districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB1.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than NJ on 3 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingD$550K typical home · up 4.2% in a yearWork & commuteC−$53K median household income · 615 jobs hereNatural hazardsCFEMA risk higher than 67% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
49 within 15 miles of the center of Prospect Park
William Paterson University of New JerseyUniversity or college · Public · Wayne1.4 mi$15,704 in-state tuitionPassaic County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Paterson1.6 mi$6,300 in-state tuitionBerkeley College-Woodland ParkUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Woodland Park3.1 mi$29,800 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Prospect Park residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
About Prospect Park
Borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, US
Prospect Park is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,372, an increase of 507 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 5,865, which in turn reflected an increase of 86 (+1.5%) from the 5,779 counted in the 2000 census. The borough of Prospect Park was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1901, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township. The borough was named for Prospect Park, Brooklyn. It is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold, as affirmed by an ordinance passed in 1978.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1901
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 236 ft
Prospect Park’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Prospect Park.
PatersonHaledonHawthorneNorth HaledonProspect Park
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect Park | #438 | D− | D | B | D | C− |
| Paterson | #460 | D− | C− | D | D | D |
| Haledon | #406 | C− | D | — | D | B |
| Hawthorne | #192 | B+ | D | A− | B− | A |
| North Haledon | #240 | B | D− | — | C+ | A |
Haledon and North Haledon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Prospect Park with a neighbor →
Questions about Prospect Park
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Prospect Park, NJ a good place to live?
Prospect Park grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #438 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades C− for health, B for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Prospect Park, NJ expensive?
Yes. That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($99,155 across the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.