What is the median rent in Plainfield, NJ?

Name: Median rent in Plainfield, NJ, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Plainfield, NJ is $1,767 (±$49) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 8,640 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Plainfield, the median gross rent went from $1,212 in 2015–2019 to $1,767 in 2020–2024 (+45.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,767 (±$49)
Rented homes: 8,640 (±594)
$2,000 or more: 33.3%
Since 2015–2019: +45.8%

How much rent costs in Plainfield

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Plainfield	Union County	New Jersey	United States
Less than $500	8.3% (±2.2 points)	4.6%	6.1%	6.3%
$500 to $999	6.2% (±2.3 points)	6.5%	7.9%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	16.3% (±4.6 points)	25.6%	23.5%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	36.0% (±5.0 points)	28.9%	28.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	19.7% (±2.9 points)	19.4%	17.2%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	8.1% (±2.8 points)	8.6%	7.9%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	5.5% (±1.6 points)	6.3%	8.9%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 36.0% of renting households.

33.3% of rented homes in Plainfield cost $2,000 or more a month.

Plainfield against Union County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Plainfield	Union County	New Jersey	United States
Median gross rent	$1,767 (±$49)	$1,730 (±$23)	$1,720 (±$7)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	8,640 (±594)	84,380 (±1,690)	1,230,839 (±7,912)	42,849,984

In Plainfield, median gross rent is not measurably different from Union County ($1,730).

It is not measurably different from New Jersey ($1,720).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Union County, Plainfield ranks 14 of 21 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 271 of 548.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Plainfield has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,212 (±$45)	$1,767 (±$49)	+45.8%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	55.8% (±2.2 points)	55.2% (±2.5 points)	−0.6 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	3.3% (±1.4 points)	3.6% (±1.8 points)	+0.3 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.

Median gross rent in places near Plainfield

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Plainfield
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Plainfield	—	$1,767 (±$49)	—
North Plainfield Borough	1.3 mi	$1,752 (±$75)	Not measurably different
Watchung Borough	2.2 mi	$2,738 (±$602)	Higher
Fanwood Borough	2.4 mi	$2,446 (±$736)	Not measurably different
Scotch Plains Township	2.6 mi	$2,060 (±$301)	Not measurably different
South Plainfield Borough	2.8 mi	$2,107 (±$144)	Higher
Dunellen Borough	3.1 mi	$1,835 (±$146)	Not measurably different
Green Brook Township	3.6 mi	$2,115 (±$336)	Higher
Berkeley Heights Township	4.2 mi	$2,203 (±$257)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Watchung Borough, NJ ($2,738), South Plainfield Borough, NJ ($2,107), Green Brook Township, NJ ($2,115).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Union County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
8	Union Township (Union County)	$2,064 (±$98)
9	Scotch Plains Township	$2,060 (±$301)
10	Kenilworth Borough	$2,023 (±$263)
11	New Providence Borough	$1,903 (±$119)
12	Rahway	$1,845 (±$142)
13	Hillside Township	$1,794 (±$108)
14	Plainfield	$1,767 (±$49)
15	Garwood Borough	$1,753 (±$224)
16	Clark Township	$1,743 (±$59)
17	Linden	$1,731 (±$71)
18	Roselle Park Borough	$1,663 (±$74)
19	Roselle Borough	$1,567 (±$202)
20	Elizabeth	$1,523 (±$42)

Showing 13 of 21 places in Union County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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 Plainfield

What is the average rent in Plainfield, NJ?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Plainfield is $1,767 (±$49) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Plainfield?

In Plainfield, the median gross rent went from $1,212 in 2015–2019 to $1,767 in 2020–2024 (+45.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Plainfield cost more than $2,000 a month?

33.3% of rented homes in Plainfield have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 8.3% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Plainfield higher than in Union County?

In Plainfield, median gross rent is not measurably different from Union County ($1,730).

It is not measurably different from New Jersey ($1,720).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

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 Plainfield city, Union County, New Jersey (county subdivision:59190, in state:34 county:039).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.