Franklin Lakes, NJ real estate: the numbers, explained.

Home values in Franklin Lakes

Zillow Home Value Index (all homes, middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted) for the Zillow region “Franklin Lakes”, September 30 of each year. Source: Zillow Research.

Zillow’s Home Value Index for Franklin Lakes was $1,628,296 as of September 30, 2026, up 12.3% from a year earlier and up 51.7% over five years. Over ten years the index rose 69%. ZHVI models a typical home value. It isn’t the price of any specific house.

The NJ Division of Taxation’s 2026 Average Residential Statistics show an average residential sale price of $1,990,026 across 112 sales used in that report. Averages can be pulled up or down by a few sales, which is one reason it can differ from Zillow’s index.

The Census Bureau’s survey puts the median value of owner-occupied homes, as estimated by owners, at $1,264,000 (2020–2024 average), compared with a Bergen County town median of $606,800.

Franklin Lakes property taxes

Franklin Lakes’s 2025 general tax rate was 1.904 per $100 of assessed value, and its effective tax rate was 1.4%, lower than the Bergen County town median of 2.072% and lower than the statewide municipal median of 2.141%. That ranks it #5 lowest of 68 Bergen County municipalities by effective rate. The average residential tax bill was $20,718 on an average assessment of $1,088,105 across 3,727 residential properties.

Applied to the typical home value of $1,628,296, the effective rate implies roughly $22,796 a year ($1,900 a month) in property tax. The Division publishes the effective rate for comparing towns, not for computing a specific bill, so use it as a ballpark.

What it costs to own vs. rent

For a $1,628,296 home with 20% down ($325,659) and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.18%, Freddie Mac’s national average for the week of November 5, 2026, principal and interest come to about $8,825 a month. With estimated property tax that’s about $10,724, before insurance, any HOA fee and utilities. For comparison, the Census median gross rent in Franklin Lakes is $3,230.

Run my numbers for Franklin LakesRent vs buy here

Who lives in Franklin Lakes

About 11,084 people live in Franklin Lakes. 88.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied (county town median 76.8%), so the market is mostly owner-occupied single homes. 87.9% of housing units are single-family detached houses. The median resident age is 46.3, and 77.4% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Median household income is $235,795, higher than the county town median of $144,212.

The median home in Franklin Lakes was built in 1982. Newer housing stock usually means fewer legacy issues like buried oil tanks or lead paint, but still inspect roofs, HVAC age and drainage, and check any HOA’s finances.

Commuting from Franklin Lakes

Workers in Franklin Lakes average 36.5 minutes each way (those who don’t work from home), longer than the Bergen County town median of 31.4 minutes. 6.6% commute by public transportation, so transit is a real option for some commuters and 32.3% work from home.

Schools

I don’t republish unofficial school scores. For Franklin Lakes, start with the New Jersey Department of Education’s School Performance Reports, then confirm the exact school assignment for any address with the district, since some NJ towns send students to regional or neighboring high schools. See how to research NJ schools.

Downtown, food and things to do

The best way to judge Franklin Lakes’s restaurants, parks and weekend life is in person. Visit on a weeknight and a Saturday morning, check the town recreation calendar and walk the blocks you’d live on. My town scouting checklist shows what to look for.

My take for buyers, sellers and renters

• Buyers: a below-county-median effective tax rate stretches your budget further here than in many Bergen towns. Compare with the town comparison tool.
• Sellers: values are up 51.7% in five years, so many owners have significant equity. See your number in the seller net sheet.

Nearby towns at a similar price