What is the median rent in Watchung Borough, NJ?

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

The median gross rent in Watchung Borough, NJ is $2,738 (±$602) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 361 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Watchung Borough, the median gross rent went from $2,021 in 2015–2019 to $2,738 in 2020–2024 (+35.5%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $2,738 (±$602)
Rented homes: 361 (±163)
$2,000 or more: 85.9%
Since 2015–2019: +35.5%

How much rent costs in Watchung Borough

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Watchung Borough	Somerset County	New Jersey	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±11.7 points)	1.9%	6.1%	6.3%
$500 to $999	0.0% (±11.7 points)	4.0%	7.9%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	0.0% (±11.7 points)	11.4%	23.5%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	14.1% (±14.8 points)	31.0%	28.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	28.0% (±21.3 points)	25.3%	17.2%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	16.6% (±15.2 points)	14.9%	7.9%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	41.3% (±22.8 points)	11.5%	8.9%	6.8%

The most common range is $3,000 or more, paid by 41.3% of renting households.

85.9% of rented homes in Watchung Borough cost $2,000 or more a month.

Watchung Borough against Somerset County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Watchung Borough	Somerset County	New Jersey	United States
Median gross rent	$2,738 (±$602)	$2,033 (±$52)	$1,720 (±$7)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	361 (±163)	32,528 (±1,212)	1,230,839 (±7,912)	42,849,984

In Watchung Borough, median gross rent is higher than in Somerset County ($2,033).

It is also higher than in New Jersey ($1,720).

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

In Somerset County, Watchung Borough ranks 1 of 21 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 43 of 548.

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

How rent in Watchung Borough 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	$2,021 (±$253)	$2,738 (±$602)	+35.5%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	17.6% (±6.9 points)	15.9% (±6.7 points)	−1.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	11.2% (±16.3 points)	19.4% (±18.7 points)	+8.2 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 Watchung Borough

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Watchung Borough
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Watchung Borough	—	$2,738 (±$602)	—
North Plainfield Borough	1.5 mi	$1,752 (±$75)	Lower
Plainfield	2.2 mi	$1,767 (±$49)	Lower
Berkeley Heights Township	2.4 mi	$2,203 (±$257)	Not measurably different
Fanwood Borough	2.7 mi	$2,446 (±$736)	Not measurably different
Scotch Plains Township	3.4 mi	$2,060 (±$301)	Lower
Green Brook Township	3.7 mi	$2,115 (±$336)	Not measurably different
Stirling	3.8 mi	$1,427 (±$462)	Lower
Dunellen Borough	3.9 mi	$1,835 (±$146)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: North Plainfield Borough, NJ ($1,752), Plainfield, NJ ($1,767), Scotch Plains Township, NJ ($2,060).

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

Median gross rent across Somerset County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Watchung Borough	$2,738 (±$602)
2	Bernards Township	$2,476 (±$212)
3	Hillsborough Township	$2,396 (±$273)
4	Bernardsville Borough	$2,297 (±$315)
5	Bedminster Township	$2,294 (±$229)
6	Branchburg Township	$2,268 (±$138)
7	Montgomery Township	$2,188 (±$372)

Showing 7 of 21 places in Somerset 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.

What you can do on Seayora in Watchung Borough

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Watchung Borough, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Watchung Borough beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Watchung Borough, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Watchung Borough

What is the average rent in Watchung Borough, NJ?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Watchung Borough is $2,738 (±$602) 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 Watchung Borough?

In Watchung Borough, the median gross rent went from $2,021 in 2015–2019 to $2,738 in 2020–2024 (+35.5%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

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

85.9% of rented homes in Watchung Borough have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Watchung Borough higher than in Somerset County?

In Watchung Borough, median gross rent is higher than in Somerset County ($2,033).

It is also higher than in 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 Watchung borough, Somerset County, New Jersey (county subdivision:77600, in state:34 county:035).

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.