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

A−River EdgeSafer than 82% of U.S. towns C−ParamusSafer than 16% of U.S. towns

Schools

ARiver EdgeBetter than 94% of districts in the state B+ParamusBetter than 72% of districts in the state

Health

A+River EdgeHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns AParamusHealthier than 93% of U.S. towns

17River Edge

8Paramus

Lists won, of 25 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

SafestSafety · 324 towns #102#303 Most activeHealth · 469 towns #43#213 Cheapest rentCost of living · 464 towns #280#442 Best schoolsSchools · 458 towns #29#187 Fastest growingGrowth · 469 towns #131#292 Shortest commuteGetting around · 469 towns #392#256 HealthiestHealth · 469 towns #30#162 Most walkableOutdoors · 469 towns #77#199

Left end = #1 in New Jersey. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of River Edge’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,160 more a month in Paramus

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.

Down paymentRate%

River Edge$5,600/mo

Typical home $861K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.51%+ · or rent about $1,879/mo · Housing →

Paramus$6,760/mo

Typical home $1.08M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.23%+ · or rent about $3,032/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,160 a month, about $13,900 a year, between Paramus and River Edge.

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

River Edge and Paramus share a border

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

River EdgeParamus

River Edge ↔ Paramus2.2 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

270 River Edge residents work in Paramus (4.6% of its workers)

Work & commute in River Edge →

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

River EdgeParamus

Snow a year33″33″

January low23°F 23°F

July high86°F 86°F

Growing season (days)189d 189d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)64th 48th

Outdoors & history

River EdgeParamus

Trails3 mi 18 mi

Conserved land12.8%10.1%

Settled1894 1922

National Register places6 6

Archive photos6 —

Community

River EdgeParamus

Library hours a week49 hrs 68 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Only big differences vs New Jersey average

River EdgeParamus

People

Population 12,091Lowest 26,568Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Highest NJ: +5.7% +1.4%Lowest NJ: +5.7%

Median age 43.6±2.8Lowest 9% above NJ 49.1±2.8Highest 22% above NJ

Paramus and River Edge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.6%±3.5Highest NJ: 21.8% 18.5%±1.8Lowest NJ: 21.8%

River Edge and Paramus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 16.6%±2.7Lowest NJ: 17.2% 26.2%±2.3Highest NJ: 17.2%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 66.8%Highest NJ: 43.6% 51.8%Lowest NJ: 43.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±1.4Lowest NJ: 6.4% 6.3%±1.2Highest NJ: 6.4%

Paramus and River Edge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $159,028±$21kHighest 54% above NJ $144,349±$16kLowest 39% above NJ

River Edge and Paramus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $660,300±$23kLowest 45% above NJ $813,900±$23kHighest 79% above NJ

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,879±$98Lowest 9% above NJ $3,032±$340Highest 76% above 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 54.6%±14.2Lowest NJ: 51.6% 57.8%±14.2Highest NJ: 51.6%

Paramus and River Edge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 4.4%Lowest NJ: 9.7% 4.7%Highest NJ: 9.7%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 76.2%Lowest NJ: 63.8% 82.6%Highest NJ: 63.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1954Lowest 16 yrs older than NJ 1963Highest 7 yrs older than NJ

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 35 minHighest 16% above NJ 31 minLowest about the NJ average

Work from home 21.4%±6.3Lowest NJ: 16.8% 21.7%±4Highest NJ: 16.8%

Paramus and River Edge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 3.5%Lowest 11.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miHighest 10.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.65Lowest 3.09Highest

Top workplaceoutside town New York (26%)New York (20%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in ParamusFew work in River Edge

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 12.8%Highest 10.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miLowest 18.1 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miLowest 1.7 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 20Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 133Highest 81.2Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #29 of 458 in NJ #187 of 458 in NJ

School district River Dell Regional School District · River Edge School DistrictBergen County Vocational Technical School District · Paramus Public School District

High school in town None in townParamus High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 11.3

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.

River Edge neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to River Edge’s Town Square.

Paramus neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Paramus’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside River Edge and Paramus

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

Bordering River Edge

+ Compare

New Milford16,995 people · $580K homes

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Hackensack46,057 people · $394K homes

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Oradell8,235 people · $738K homes

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Teaneck Township41,876 people · $546K homes

Towns like River Edge

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New Providence13,727 people · $770K homes

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Ramsey14,805 people · $697K homes

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Verona Township14,545 people · $608K homes

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Robbinsville Township15,641 people · $568K 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.

River Edge vs Paramus

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

River Edge places higher on 17 of 25 NJ lists

A typical home costs $1,160 more a month in Paramus

River Edge and Paramus share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside River Edge and Paramus

Bordering River Edge

Towns like River Edge

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