Paterson

Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park is a great place to come and relax.
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Paterson, NJ Area Guide

NYC suburb brimming with historic charm

Suburban Diverse Historic Artistic Accessible Active

Paterson, New Jersey combines metropolitan convenience with historical significance. Located 15 miles from New York City, this city features housing options from historic brownstones to contemporary apartment communities. The rental market remains steady, with average rents of $1,412 for one-bedroom units showing a modest annual increase of 2.5%. Two-bedroom apartments average $1,835, making Paterson a cost-effective alternative to surrounding metropolitan areas.

The Great Falls Historic District anchors the community, featuring the impressive Great Falls of the Passaic River - a National Historical Park that highlights the city's industrial heritage. The Paterson Museum, located in the former Rogers Locomotive Works building, preserves and showcases local history through industrial artifacts and exhibitions. South Paterson features Mediterranean and South American influences, with markets and cafes along Main Street and Market Street. The Eastside Park Historic District showcases preserved architecture surrounding the 66-acre park. Downtown Paterson combines historical Beaux-Arts buildings with contemporary developments, including the Center City Mall.

Rent Trends

As of March 2026, the average apartment rent in Paterson, NJ is $1,104 for a studio, $1,420 for one bedroom, $1,860 for two bedrooms, and $2,249 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Paterson has increased by 1.0% in the past year.

Property Type
Average Rent
Average Sq Ft
Apartment
$1,420/month
515 Sq Ft
House
$2,671/month
348 Sq Ft
See Rental Market Trends in Paterson, NJ

Learn More About Paterson

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Getting Around

Explore how walkable, bikeable, drivable, and transit-friendly Paterson, NJ is for everyday living.

Very Walkable

82 / 100

If you enjoy walking, you’ll enjoy renting in this area! It’s a very walkable neighborhood.

Good Transit

52 / 100

The area around this property has good transit with many nearby transportation options.

Somewhat Bikeable

47 / 100

You might be able to find places to ride your bike in this area, but you’ll most likely want your car for most errands.

Schools

School 28

Public

Grades PK-8

Charles J. Riley School 9

Public

Grades PK-8

School 5

Public

Grades K-5

School 2

Public

Grades K-8

School 28

Public

Grades PK-8

Charles J. Riley School 9

Public

Grades PK-8

School 2

Public

Grades K-8

School 16

Public

Grades PK-8

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Rifle Camp Park Observatory
  • Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
  • NJ Audubon Lorrimer Sanctuary
  • Saddle River County Park
  • Bergen County Zoo

Airports

  • Newark Liberty International
  • LaGuardia

Top Apartments in Paterson

Houses for Rent in Paterson

Property Management Companies in Paterson, NJ

Living in Paterson

History

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An unsung repository of American history and culture, Paterson is a city chock full of teachable sites. Among them is the Great Falls National Historic Site. Serving as a primary power source during Paterson’s early industrial boom, the Falls enjoys statuses of both historic landmark and civil engineering landmark. It is also a national park where adults and children can see many biological and geological points of interest. Adjacent to this park is the Art Factory, a multi-media complex of galleries and studios showing paintings, sculptures and photographs. Educational programs and tours are among its offerings. In addition, nearby William Paterson University sponsors concerts, stage plays and exhibitions throughout the year for serious patrons and curious children.

Restaurants

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The Port Arthur restaurant dishes up some of the best Cantonese fare in the Greater New York region. If Jamaican food tempts your palate, you can head over to Linn’s Place in the Eastside neighborhood. Reflecting the large Middle Eastern population of Paterson, the Sahara restaurant specializes in cuisine from Turkey, the Mediterranean region and North Africa. Not to be forgotten is dining at The Experience, where old soul food favorites are prepared with modern culinary methods.

Francesco’s Restaurant in Woodland Park (formerly known as West Paterson) provides lunch, dinner, and catering menus with dishes like Veal Milanese and Linguini Macrechiara. A survey of Paterson, NJ restaurants is incomplete without including the Dominican El Tropico, Banana King, and Griselda’s.

Shopping

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Food shopping is a special pleasure with the presence of the Paterson Farmers Market. Open all year for three-quarters of a century, this food court offers fresh seasonal produce grown by New Jersey farmers, as well as fresh meat and fish. The city also fields a large number of supermarkets, specialty stores and bodegas.

Most Paterson rentals are only a short ride from Northern New Jersey’s largest retail malls. The Garden State Plaza, for example, houses 300 or more stores that sell everything from jewelry to men’s suits to frozen yogurt. Closer to home is the Center City Mall in Paterson’s central business district. Just a block from City Hall, this mall is home to an eight-screen movie theater and myriad retail shops that enjoy a reduced sales tax of 3.5 percent.

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2026.