Housing data for Fords, NJ
Fords, NJ has an estimated 12,771 residents and 4,810 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Middlesex County.
28.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,913 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−16.3%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 12,771 (±1,116)
- Housing units
- 4,810 (±333)
- Households that rent
- 28.3%
- Median gross rent
- $1,913
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −16.3%
What stands out in Fords
Homes built before 1980: 84.6% (±9.6 points) in Fords, higher than in Middlesex County (57.4%).
Working from home: 12.8% (±3.6 points) in Fords, lower than in Middlesex County (18.1%).
Households that rent: 28.3% (±5.0 points) in Fords, lower than in Middlesex County (36.4%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 18.8% (±5.1 points) in Fords, lower than in Middlesex County (24.0%).
Housing in Fords at a glance
- Median rent: $1,913 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $2,078 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 44.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 28.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $115,861 median household income
- Home values: $438,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,876 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 18.8% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 63.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 84.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 82.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 30.7 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −16.3% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 21.3% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Fords against Middlesex County, its state and the nation
| Fords | Middlesex County | New Jersey | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,771 (±1,116) | 871,290 (exact) | 9,343,809 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,810 (±333) | 317,979 (±208) | 3,791,354 (±469) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 28.3% (±5.0 points) | 36.4% (±0.6 points) | 36.2% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,913 (±$134) | $1,871 (±$20) | $1,720 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $115,861 (±$10,191) | $111,549 (±$1,881) | $103,556 (±$513) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $438,000 (±$14,498) | $462,900 (±$2,710) | $454,400 (±$1,150) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $9,712 (±$68) | $9,590 (±$25) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 84.6% (±9.6 points) | 57.4% (±1.0 points) | 62.8% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 30.7 minutes (±3.0) | 31.2 minutes (±0.4) | 30.5 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.3% (±1.8 points) | 94.3% (±0.4 points) | 92.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.9 years (±3.5) | 39.5 years (±0.3) | 40.1 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Fords covers 1.9 square miles of land, about 6,761 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Fords has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 15,250 (±782) | 12,771 (±1,116) | −16.3% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 5,634 (±222) | 4,810 (±333) | −14.6% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $1,547 (±$127) | $1,913 (±$134) | +23.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $314,200 (±$7,725) | $438,000 (±$14,498) | +39.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $94,948 (±$4,386) | $115,861 (±$10,191) | +22.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,410 (±$75) | $2,876 (±$132) | +19.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 28.8% (±3.3 points) | 28.3% (±5.0 points) | −0.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.3% (±2.6 points) | 0.0% (±3.3 points) | −2.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Middlesex County
Fords has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Middlesex County as a whole.
In 2023, the police departments that report for Middlesex County recorded 202 violent and 1,439 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Fords
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08863 | 100% | 12,771 | $1,913 | $438,000 | $115,861 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Fords
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopelawn | 1.2 mi | $1,272 | $372,100 | 37.5% |
| Menlo Park Terrace | 1.3 mi | $1,971 | $427,400 | 13.3% |
| Keasbey | 1.5 mi | $1,685 | $278,800 | 80.0% |
| Woodbridge | 1.8 mi | $2,091 | $390,000 | 47.4% |
| Iselin | 2.4 mi | $2,113 | $426,800 | 34.7% |
| Perth Amboy | 2.5 mi | $1,688 | $370,600 | 64.6% |
| Metuchen Borough | 2.6 mi | $2,078 | $604,300 | 25.4% |
| Edison Township | 2.9 mi | $1,974 | $496,900 | 39.4% |
Places in New Jersey most like Fords
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutley Township | $1,767 | $516,300 | $119,734 | 29.7% |
| Union Township (Union County) | $2,064 | $451,300 | $119,464 | 28.5% |
| Bogota Borough | $1,941 | $501,600 | $103,299 | 32.6% |
| Pompton Lakes Borough | $1,845 | $442,400 | $124,454 | 19.6% |
| Bergenfield Borough | $1,752 | $491,500 | $130,045 | 29.4% |
| Bloomingdale Borough | $1,753 | $432,000 | $127,500 | 28.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across New Jersey.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Fords, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,953 | $2,103 | $2,623 | $3,125 | $3,508 |
HUD income limits for Fords, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $32,550 | $54,200 | $80,200 |
| 2 people | $37,200 | $61,950 | $91,700 |
| 3 people | $41,850 | $69,700 | $103,150 |
| 4 people | $46,450 | $77,400 | $114,600 |
| 5 people | $50,200 | $83,600 | $123,800 |
| 6 people | $53,900 | $89,800 | $132,950 |
| 7 people | $57,600 | $96,000 | $142,150 |
| 8 people | $61,350 | $102,200 | $151,300 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $154,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Fords is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside Woodbridge Township, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Fords
What is the average rent in Fords, NJ?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Fords is $1,913 (±$134) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Fords?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Fords, NJ is $1,871 (±$147) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Fords rent-burdened?
44.7% of renting households in Fords pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Fords?
Fords has an estimated 1,341 (±253) renting households, 28.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Fords?
The median household income in Fords is $115,861 (±$10,191) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Fords, NJ?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $438,000 (±$14,498) for owner-occupied homes in Fords (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Fords growing?
In Fords, the number of residents went from 15,250 in 2015–2019 to 12,771 in 2020–2024 (−16.3%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Fords?
The ZIP code that covers Fords is 08863.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 08863?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 08863 is $1,913 (±$134) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Fords CDP, New Jersey
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Fords CDP, New Jersey (place:24030, in state:34).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .