What percentage of people rent in Scotch Plains Township, NJ?

Name: Renters and owners in Scotch Plains Township, NJ, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

21.0% (±3.2 points) of the occupied homes in Scotch Plains Township, NJ are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 1,797 renting households against 6,766 that own their home.

In Scotch Plains Township, the share of households that rent went from 18.0% in 2015–2019 to 21.0% in 2020–2024 (+3.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 21.0% (±3.2 points)
Renting households: 1,797 (±281)
Median renter income: $72,321 (±$71,665)

Who rents and who owns in Scotch Plains Township

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Scotch Plains Township	Union County	New Jersey	United States
Renter-occupied share	21.0% (±3.2 points)	42.6% (±0.8 points)	36.2% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	1,797 (±281)	86,672 (±1,707)	1,268,573 (±8,082)	45,017,354
Owning households	6,766 (±403)	116,605 (±1,743)	2,239,128 (±10,678)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.3)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.1 (±0.2)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.8 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$72,321 (±$71,665)	$64,756 (±$2,190)	$62,674 (±$718)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$207,667 (±$13,803)	$148,703 (±$3,139)	$133,477 (±$624)	$100,009

In Scotch Plains Township, the renter share is lower than in Union County (42.6%).

It is also lower than in New Jersey (36.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Union County, Scotch Plains Township ranks 17 of 21 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 293 of 564.

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

How renting in Scotch Plains Township has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	18.0% (±2.5 points)	21.0% (±3.2 points)	+3.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,584 (±$95)	$2,060 (±$301)	+30.1%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$131,732 (±$7,530)	$183,655 (±$18,502)	+39.4%	Up after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Scotch Plains Township

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Scotch Plains Township
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Scotch Plains Township	—	21.0% (±3.2 points)	—
Fanwood Borough	0.9 mi	15.1% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Westfield Town	2.0 mi	18.9% (±3.0 points)	Not measurably different
Plainfield	2.6 mi	55.2% (±2.5 points)	Higher
Garwood Borough	2.9 mi	45.6% (±8.3 points)	Higher
Clark Township	3.1 mi	23.4% (±4.1 points)	Not measurably different
Mountainside Borough	3.4 mi	12.1% (±8.3 points)	Lower
Watchung Borough	3.4 mi	15.9% (±6.7 points)	Not measurably different
North Plainfield Borough	3.6 mi	46.7% (±4.8 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Fanwood Borough, NJ (15.1%), Mountainside Borough, NJ (12.1%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Plainfield, NJ (55.2%), Garwood Borough, NJ (45.6%), North Plainfield Borough, NJ (46.7%).

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

Households that rent across Union County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
11	Summit	31.7% (±4.4 points)
12	Union Township (Union County)	28.5% (±2.1 points)
13	Kenilworth Borough	25.5% (±6.7 points)
14	New Providence Borough	24.2% (±3.0 points)
15	Clark Township	23.4% (±4.1 points)
16	Cranford Township	22.5% (±4.1 points)
17	Scotch Plains Township	21.0% (±3.2 points)
18	Westfield Town	18.9% (±3.0 points)
19	Fanwood Borough	15.1% (±4.2 points)
20	Mountainside Borough	12.1% (±8.3 points)
21	Berkeley Heights Township	6.7% (±2.9 points)

Showing 11 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 Scotch Plains Township

How many renters are there in Scotch Plains Township?

Scotch Plains Township has an estimated 1,797 (±281) renting households, 21.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Scotch Plains Township?

In Scotch Plains Township, the share of households that rent went from 18.0% in 2015–2019 to 21.0% in 2020–2024 (+3.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Scotch Plains Township?

A renting household in Scotch Plains Township has 2.0 people on average, against 3.1 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Scotch Plains Township?

The median renting household in Scotch Plains Township, NJ has an income of $72,321 (±$71,665) a year, against $207,667 for households that own their home.

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Scotch Plains township, Union County, New Jersey (county subdivision:66060, 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.