Population
Lakewood
69,884
Meridian
124,865
Median Income
Lakewood
$57,576
Meridian
$98,686
Home Value
Lakewood
$618,400
Meridian
$485,000
Rent
Lakewood
$1,647
Meridian
$1,714
Crime Rate
Lakewood
1.51
Meridian
1.47
Cost of Living
Lakewood
153.0
Meridian
160.1
Avg Temp
Lakewood
N/A
Meridian
N/A
Unemployment
Lakewood
6.8%
Meridian
2.4%
How Similar Are Lakewood & Meridian?
Meridian is Lakewood's #11 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lakewood
69,884
Meridian
124,865
Meridian has a 44% larger population than Lakewood.
Violent Crime
Lakewood
1.51
Meridian
1.47
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.
Property Crime
Lakewood
5.85
Meridian
5.71
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Lakewood
67.4%
Meridian
53.8%
Both cities lean Republican, but Lakewood has a stronger Republican lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
Lakewood
6.8%
Meridian
2.4%
Lakewood's unemployment is significantly higher than Meridian's — 64% difference.
Median Income
Lakewood
$57,576
Meridian
$98,686
Meridian has a 42% higher median income than Lakewood.
Home Values
Lakewood
$618,400
Meridian
$485,000
Lakewood has a 22% higher home values than Meridian.
Education
Lakewood
11.6%
Meridian
29.1%
Meridian's education is significantly higher than Lakewood's — 60% difference.
Demographics
Lakewood
85.3%
Meridian
84.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Lakewood
153.0
Meridian
160.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lakewood and Meridian share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lakewood
0
Meridian
Meridian leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lakewood leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLakewood scores 83.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 150.9 in Meridian. Meridian has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,655 vs $2,328 in Lakewood (41% lower). Meridian has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,381 vs $1,889 in Lakewood (37% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Meridian leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMeridian has a median property tax of $2,497 vs $10,001 in Lakewood (301% lower). Meridian has a owner-occupied of 76.1% compared to 37.0% in Lakewood. Meridian has a vacancy rate of 2.7% compared to 3.9% in Lakewood.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Meridian leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMeridian has a poverty rate of 6.2% compared to 29.3% in Lakewood. Meridian has a unemployment rate of 2.4% compared to 6.8% in Lakewood. Meridian: 66,317 vs Lakewood: 19,688 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Meridian leads
Source: FBI UCRMeridian has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.01 in Lakewood. Meridian has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.11 compared to 0.19 in Lakewood. Meridian has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.52 compared to 0.88 in Lakewood.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Meridian leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMeridian has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.1% compared to 11.6% in Lakewood. Meridian has a high school diploma or higher of 40.5% compared to 22.3% in Lakewood.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMeridian has a population of 124,865, about 1.8x the size of Lakewood (69,884). Lakewood skews younger with a median age of 17.3 vs 37.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lakewood
Meridian
Healthcare — Meridian leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMeridian: 4.3 vs Lakewood: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Meridian leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLakewood has a public transit of 2.2% compared to 0.1% in Meridian. Meridian has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.2% in Lakewood. Meridian has a drive alone of 73.7% compared to 63.1% in Lakewood.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lakewood, NJ
Compare Lakewood against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.