Fort Lee, NJ — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·New Jersey·Fort Lee

Bergen County · New York-Newark-Jersey City · population 40,566

Image: Wikipedia · Fort Lee, New Jersey

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

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Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Fort Lee stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.7% in the last year.

Median home $588,226

1-year +5.7%

5-yr CAGR +5.2%

vs 5-yr peak +0.0%

Population +0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

32/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

22/100

Transit limited

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

76/100

Strong remote-work fit

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.4

Buy

At a 14.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Fort Lee on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

77 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

66 · w22%

Distance from peak

90 · w18%

Population growth

50 · w16%

Rent YoY

48 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

56 · w10%

Long thesis

Fort Lee has held up across the cycle: home values at $588,226 with +5.2% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Fort Lee's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Fort Lee

Fort Lee is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, with an estimated population of 40,566. It anchors the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area. The median home value in Fort Lee is $588,226 as of 2026-04, up 5.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.2% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Fort Lee average $3,414 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.4%). The composite momentum score is 67 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.2% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

●Quiet strength: +5.7% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.

●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Fort Lee (Wikipedia)

Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Bergen County right now.

NWS active alerts (NJ)New Jersey Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Bergen County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Fort Lee

Rutherford, NJ71 · Rising West New York, NJ69 · Rising Lodi, NJ71 · Rising South Plainfield, NJ74 · Rising

Run the numbers for Fort Lee

ToolCan I afford Fort Lee?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Fort Lee rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Fort Lee to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolFort Lee cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)

38° / 23°

avg high / low

Summer (Jul)

85° / 65°

avg high / low

Sunny days/yr

207

~57% of year

Annual precip

47″ rain

25″ snow

Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)

Hurricane

High

Tornado

Very low

Wildfire

Very low

Earthquake

Very low

Flood

High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the New York-Newark-Jersey City area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NFLNew York Giants →New York Jets →

NBANew York Knicks →Brooklyn Nets →

MLBNew York Yankees →New York Mets →

NHLNew York Rangers →New York Islanders →New Jersey Devils →

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Fort Lee listings on the major real-estate sites.

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Latest news

1 Executive Dr Apt 412, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Realtor.com · 2d ago
10 most expensive homes sold in Fort Lee, May 4-10
NJ.com · 4d ago
Two Buyers Emerge for Fort Lee’s Bankrupt iPic Theater
Jersey Digs · 1w ago
RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces New Bipartisan Legislation to Ban AI Surveillance Pricing at Grocery Stores & Delivery Services
House.gov · 2d ago
New 15K-Square-Foot Gym Headed To Paramus Mall
dailyvoice.com · 1d ago
Grandmother Struck and Killed by SUV in Crosswalk Just Weeks After Celebrating Her 60th Wedding Anniversary
People.com · 1d ago

Local chatter (Reddit)

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity

70%

Humid climate

Median household income

$97,100

New Jersey state median

Top industries (state-level)

FinancePharmaLogistics

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.