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Preakness vs Wayne Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (46.9× in Wayne Township) and size (2.9× in Wayne Township).

P ×
Preakness, NJA big town of 18,520New Jersey · 18,520 people
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Wayne Township, NJKnown for its schoolsPassaic County · 53,756 people
Swap order
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.

PreaknessA big town of 18,520
Quiet strengthsPreakness doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Preakness →
Wayne TownshipKnown for its schools
Schools#90 for schools in NJof 458 towns Outdoors#72 most trails in NJ38 miles of trails across 44 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 95%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Wayne Township →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Trails46.9×
Wayne Township has more miles of trail
Wayne Township 37.5 miPreakness 0.8 mi
Size2.9×
Wayne Township is the bigger place
Wayne Township 53,756Preakness 18,520
Homeowners+8 pts renters
Preakness has more renters
Wayne Township 78.6%Preakness 70.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $870 more a month in Wayne Township

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.

Preakness$4,070/mo
Typical home $618K (Census) · tax rate 1.62%+ · or rent about $1,918/mo · Housing →
Wayne Township$4,940/mo
Typical home $748K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.63%+ · or rent about $2,164/mo · Housing →

The difference: $870 a month, about $10,400 a year, between Wayne Township and Preakness.

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

Preakness and Wayne Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

PreaknessWayne TownshipPreaknessWayne Township
Preakness ↔ Wayne Township1.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,076 Preakness residents work in Wayne Township (11.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Preakness →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every New Jersey ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–PreaknessNot graded C+Wayne TownshipSafer than 41% of U.S. towns
Schools
–PreaknessNot graded B+Wayne TownshipBetter than 72% of districts in the state
Health
–PreaknessNot graded A+Wayne TownshipHealthier than 95% of U.S. towns
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
PreaknessWayne Township
Snow a year24″24″
January low22°F22°F
July high86°F86°F
Growing season (days)189d189d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd59th
Outdoors & history
PreaknessWayne Township
Trails1 mi38 mi
Conserved land11.1%14.8%
National Register places—4
Archive photos—8
Famous people born here—26
Community
PreaknessWayne Township
Library hours a week67 hrs67 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

PreaknessWayne Township
People
Population 18,520Lowest 53,756Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +0.2% NJ: +5.7%
Median age 41±1.8 about the NJ average 41±0.9 about the NJ average
Kids under 18 23.7%±3.1Highest NJ: 21.8% 22%±1.6Lowest NJ: 21.8%
Preakness and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.4%±2.3Highest NJ: 17.2% 19.5%±1.3Lowest NJ: 17.2%
Preakness and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 57.1%Highest NJ: 43.6% 56.8%Lowest NJ: 43.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±2.1Lowest NJ: 6.4% 8.5%±1Highest NJ: 6.4%
Wayne Township and Preakness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $133,205±$17kLowest 29% above NJ $153,056±$8kHighest 48% above NJ
Wayne Township and Preakness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $617,700±$26kHighest 36% above NJ $612,700±$13kLowest 35% above NJ
Preakness and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,918±$187Lowest 12% above NJ $2,164±$86Highest 26% above NJ
Wayne Township and Preakness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.4%±10.7Highest NJ: 51.6% 47.9%±5Lowest NJ: 51.6%
Preakness and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.3%Lowest NJ: 9.7% 3.4%Highest NJ: 9.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70.6%Lowest NJ: 63.8% 78.6%Highest NJ: 63.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967 3 yrs older than NJ 1967 3 yrs older than NJ
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest about the NJ average 29 minLowest 6% below NJ
Work from home 16.9%±2.7Lowest NJ: 16.8% 20.7%±2.1Highest NJ: 16.8%
Wayne Township and Preakness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7.3%Lowest 11%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.94Lowest 1.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Wayne Township (12%)New York (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 12% work in Wayne TownshipFew work in Preakness
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.1%Lowest 14.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 37.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Lowest 44Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 80.6Highest 61.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#90 of 458 in NJ
School district —Passaic County Technical-Vocational School District · Wayne Township Public School District
High school in town —Passaic County Technical Institute
Students per teacherat that high school — 11.1
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.

Preakness neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Preakness’s Town Square.

Wayne Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 3d

Wayne's Founding Story

1 neighbor in Wayne Township can answer.

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Bordering Preakness

W
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William Paterson University of New Jersey1,133 people
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Packanack Lake6,321 people · $601K homes
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Haledon8,980 people · $396K homes
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Totowa10,959 people · $559K homes

Towns like Preakness

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Rutherford18,894 people · $604K homes
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Dumont18,279 people · $497K homes
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Haddon Township15,469 people · $407K homes
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Aberdeen Township19,332 people · $448K homes

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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