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Compare towns

Lyons vs Basking Ridge

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.1× in Basking Ridge) and household income (+33% in Lyons).

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Lyons, NJAn outdoors townNew Jersey · 5,187 people
B ×
Basking Ridge, NJHomes around $951KNew Jersey · 7,917 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

LyonsAn outdoors town
Outdoors13% conserved land3.0 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Lyons →
Basking RidgeHomes around $951K
Housing$951K typical home64% above the NJ typical home Work11,455 jobsbased in Basking Ridge, a regional job hub All about Basking Ridge →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker3.1×
Basking Ridge is more of a job hub
Basking Ridge 3.70Lyons 1.19
Household income+33%
Households in Lyons earn more
Lyons $250,001Basking Ridge $188,295
Home values+22%
Homes cost more in Lyons
Lyons $1,037,400Basking Ridge $851,200
Homeowners+14.5 pts renters
Basking Ridge has more renters
Lyons 98.4%Basking Ridge 83.9%
Average commute5 min
Basking Ridge has the shorter commute
Lyons 34 minBasking Ridge 29 min
Typical home built12 yrs
Basking Ridge’s homes are older
Lyons 1984Basking Ridge 1972
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $350 more a month in Lyons

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Lyons$6,270/mo
Typical home $1.04M (Census) · tax rate 0.96%+ · Housing →
Basking Ridge$5,920/mo
Typical home $951K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17%+ · or rent about $546/mo · Housing →

The difference: $350 a month, about $4,300 a year, between Lyons and Basking Ridge.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Where they are

Lyons and Basking Ridge share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LyonsBasking RidgeLyonsBasking Ridge
Lyons ↔ Basking Ridge1.8 miles apart · They share a border
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
LyonsBasking Ridge
Snow a year21″21″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)66th28th
Outdoors & history
LyonsBasking Ridge
Trails3 mi2 mi
Conserved land13%10.6%
Community
LyonsBasking Ridge
Library hours a week—54 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

LyonsBasking Ridge
People
Population 5,187Lowest 7,917Highest
Median age 48.2±3.4Highest 20% above NJ 46.7±2.5Lowest 16% above NJ
Lyons and Basking Ridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.6%±3.8Highest NJ: 21.8% 23.2%±3.2Lowest NJ: 21.8%
Lyons and Basking Ridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.4%±3.7Highest NJ: 17.2% 19.1%±4.5Lowest NJ: 17.2%
Lyons and Basking Ridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 71%Lowest NJ: 43.6% 74.3%Highest NJ: 43.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±2.6Lowest NJ: 6.4% 7.3%±2.8Highest NJ: 6.4%
Basking Ridge and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $250,001Highest 141% above NJ $188,295±$44kLowest 82% above NJ
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,037,400±$104kHighest 128% above NJ $851,200±$33kLowest 87% above NJ
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $546±$205 68% below NJ
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest NJ: 51.6% 47.5%±23.1Lowest NJ: 51.6%
Lyons and Basking Ridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.9%Lowest NJ: 9.7% 3.3%Highest NJ: 9.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 98.4%Highest NJ: 63.8% 83.9%Lowest NJ: 63.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 14 yrs newer than NJ 1972Lowest 2 yrs newer than NJ
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 11% above NJ 29 minLowest 6% below NJ
Work from home 30.1%±8.5Highest NJ: 16.8% 23.6%±5.8Lowest NJ: 16.8%
Lyons and Basking Ridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.3%Lowest 5.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.19Lowest 3.70Highest
Top workplaceoutside town New York (8%)Bernards Township (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Basking RidgeFew work in Lyons
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13%Highest 10.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.0 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 33.5Highest 33.0Lowest
New Jersey average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Lyons neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lyons’s Town Square.

Basking Ridge neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Basking Ridge’s Town Square.

Add a town

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One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Lyons

+ Compare
Millington3,220 people · $797K homes
+ Compare
Bernards Township28,114 people · $815K homes
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Long Hill Township8,652 people · $697K homes
+ Compare
Liberty Corner2,325 people · $1.19M homes

Towns like Lyons

+ Compare
Chester Township7,748 people · $791K homes
+ Compare
Demarest4,911 people · $1.11M homes
+ Compare
Mendham Township6,018 people · $1.07M homes
H
+ Compare
Harrington Park4,954 people · $777K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks New Jersey towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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