Bergen County
Living in Bergen County, New Jersey
70 towns, 977,026 residents, and the George Washington Bridge instead of a PATH train. New Jersey’s most populous county runs from $392,000 in Hackensack to average home values above $3.2 million in Alpine, with a school district and a commute for nearly every budget in between.
Bergen County at a Glance
Bergen County at a Glance: The Essentials
Location & size: 246 square miles, founded the same year as Essex County in 1683, and home to 977,026 residents across 70 towns, the most populous county in New Jersey.
The county seat: Hackensack, the largest municipality by population at roughly 46,000 residents, currently in the middle of a downtown redevelopment adding about 4,000 residential units.
Home prices (2026): from $392,000 average in Hackensack to $538,000 in Fort Lee, $1.1M in Ridgewood, and above $3.2 million average in Alpine.
Commute to NYC: no PATH station in the county. NJ Transit rail runs to Hoboken with a Secaucus Junction transfer for Penn Station, bus service reaches both Port Authority and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and drivers cross the GWB directly.
Best known for: the George Washington Bridge, Garden State Plaza, MetLife Stadium, and some of the state’s highest-rated school districts.
Compared to Hudson County: larger lots and a car-first layout, in exchange for a rail or bus commute instead of a PATH train that runs all day.
Sources: New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2025 county population estimate), U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index, Realtor.com, and NJ Transit. Figures move with the market; contact our team for current numbers by town.
Bergen County has no PATH station. Every commute here runs through a bridge, a bus, or a transfer at Secaucus Junction, and the towns are built around that fact.
At 246 square miles and 977,026 residents, Bergen is the most populous county in New Jersey, spread across 70 separate towns that range from Alpine, where the average home value tops $3.2 million, to Hackensack, where it sits closer to $392,000. Three NJ Transit rail lines cross the county, the Bergen County Line, the Main Line, and the Pascack Valley Line, and all three terminate at Hoboken Terminal. Reaching Penn Station means a transfer at Secaucus Junction, not a one-seat ride. For most residents, the George Washington Bridge and an extensive NJ Transit bus network carry more of the daily commute than the trains do.
We work Hudson County full time. Bergen County comes up whenever a client wants more land, a specific school district, or distance from a rail line they never plan to use. This guide covers where that trade works, town by town: the real price data, the honest commute math, and the case for Bergen against the walkable density of Hudson County.
Seventy towns, and the commute is different in every one.
Tell us how you plan to get to work and what the school district needs to look like, and we will narrow seventy towns down to the handful worth a Saturday.
The Towns
Six Bergen County Towns, Six Different Markets
Seventy towns is too many to profile individually. These six span the price range end to end, from a $392,000 average to $3.2 million, and cover the reasons buyers actually give us for choosing Bergen.
Alpine
New Jersey’s highest-income enclave, population just 1,503. Average home value runs $3.2 million, up 12.7% over the past year, per Zillow. Best forBuyers who want privacy, acreage, and a short drive to the GWB. Browse Alpine Listings From $1.1MRidgewood
A charming downtown, top-rated public schools, and direct NJ Transit rail service on the Bergen County Line. Best forFamilies who want a walkable downtown and a school district to match. Browse Ridgewood Listings From $538KFort Lee
High-rise condos minutes from the George Washington Bridge. Average home value $538,618, up 3.5% over the past year, per Zillow. Best forBuyers who want the fastest drive into Manhattan in the county. Browse Fort Lee Listings From $658KEdgewater
Waterfront condos with a NY Waterway ferry stop, the only direct boat-to-Manhattan option in the county. Best forBuyers who want a waterfront commute without a car. Browse Edgewater Listings From $392KHackensack
The county seat, in the middle of a downtown redevelopment adding roughly 4,000 residential units. Average home value $392,506, per Zillow. Best forFirst-time buyers and investors watching the redevelopment play out. Browse Hackensack Listings From $631KEast Rutherford
Home to MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands Sports Complex, with major highway access and steady value growth. Best forBuyers who want highway access and Meadowlands proximity at a mid-range price. Browse East Rutherford ListingsPrice by Tier
What Bergen County Actually Costs
A single countywide median hides more than it shows across 70 towns. These three tiers, drawn from Zillow and Realtor.com, describe where most Bergen County transactions actually land.
Entry Tier
$390K TO $660K
Hackensack, East Rutherford, and Fort Lee condos.
Family Suburban
$799K COUNTY MEDIAN
Bergen County’s current median listing price, per Realtor.com.
Ultra Luxury
$3.2M+ ALPINE AVERAGE
Alpine, Saddle River, and Franklin Lakes anchor the county’s top tier.
Figures from Zillow Home Value Index and Realtor.com, current as of mid-2026. Confirm the current number with our team, prices by town shift month to month.
Browse Current ListingsThe Buyers
Who Moves to Bergen County?
The GWB commuter who wants a shorter drive
Fort Lee and Edgewater put the George Washington Bridge minutes away. This buyer trades a PATH ride for a bridge crossing and gets a lower price than most of Hudson County’s waterfront towns for it.
The family chasing a specific school district
Ridgewood, Tenafly, and Glen Rock consistently rank among the state’s top public districts. This buyer picked the school first and worked backward to the house.
The privacy buyer moving to Alpine or Saddle River
Average home values above $3.2 million and populations in the low thousands. This buyer wants acreage and distance from neighbors more than a commute number.
The investor watching Hackensack’s redevelopment
The county seat is adding roughly 4,000 residential units downtown. This buyer wants exposure to that growth before the neighborhood fully turns over.
The Commute Reality
3
NJ Transit rail lines cross Bergen County. All three terminate at Hoboken, not Manhattan.
Source: NJ Transit, 2026
The Commute
Commuting from Bergen County to New York City
There is no PATH station in the county. The commute runs on rail-to-Hoboken, a large bus network, or the George Washington Bridge, and the right answer changes by town.
NJ Transit Rail
3 LINES
Bergen County Line, Main Line & Pascack Valley Line → Hoboken
All three terminate at Hoboken Terminal. Reaching Penn Station requires a transfer at Secaucus Junction, not a direct ride.
NJ Transit Bus
Dozens OF ROUTES
Port Authority Bus Terminal & the George Washington Bridge Bus Station
Buses often outperform the train for daily commuters, with direct service to both Midtown and Washington Heights.
George Washington Bridge
Direct ACCESS
Fort Lee & Edgewater → Manhattan by car
The fastest option for drivers in the eastern part of the county, off-peak. NY Waterway ferry service also runs from Edgewater.
The Comparison
Bergen County vs. Hudson County: Which Fits You?
Bergen comes up in almost every relocation conversation where a Hoboken or Jersey City client starts talking about a second car. Here is the version of that conversation we actually have.
Bergen County
Single-family homes with real yards, in a range from Hackensack’s $390s to Alpine estates above $3M.
Commute options split across rail-to-Hoboken, an extensive bus network, and the George Washington Bridge.
Top-rated school districts you choose by town, including Ridgewood, Tenafly, and Glen Rock.
Hudson County
Condos and walkable downtowns, with a PATH train that runs all day, every day.
Single-digit to low-teen commute times into both Downtown and Midtown Manhattan.
Waterfront density and nightlife within walking distance of home.
The Library
Guides & Resources
Our daily work is Hudson County, and Bergen questions tend to circle back to the same buying, selling, and relocation fundamentals. These 14 guides are the ones that hold up regardless of which side of the GWB you end up on.
Buying Here
4 guidesCommute & Relocation
3 guidesSelling & Investing
3 guidesExplore Our Core Markets
4 guidesParks & Culture
What Fills the Weekends
The county-wide landmarks that come up most often in client conversations.
Bergen County · Est. 1683
1683
The year Bergen County was founded, the same year as Essex County to its south
Source: Bergen County, NJ official records
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Bergen County
Work With Us
Thinking About Bergen County?
We work Hudson County every day, and Bergen County comes up whenever a client wants a bigger house or a specific school district and is willing to trade the PATH train for a bus or a bridge. Comparing a Hoboken condo to a Ridgewood colonial comes down to lifestyle as much as price, and we can lay out the actual numbers on both sides before you decide.
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