Elevation of Paterson
84ft
above sea level · 26 m
Paterson is a city in New Jersey with 161,793 people, the 3rd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 64th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 40.92° N · 74.17° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 40° 55′ 0″ N · 74° 10′ 19″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 18T · 569,740 E · 4,529,847 N
- Zone 18 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 161,793 people
- 8.41 sq mi of land · 19,238 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from March 2018: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Paterson had 161,793 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.3% more than in April 2020, when it had 159,761. Its 8.41 sq mi of land work out to 19,238 people/sq mi; the state average is 1,298 people/sq mi.
It’s the 3rd most populous of the 700 places the Census counts in New Jersey (cities, towns and CDPs), after Newark (323,808), and holds 1.7% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Passaic County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.5 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Paterson sits at 84 ft (26 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Paterson is 778 ft below it.
The state capital, Trenton, is 57 mi away in a straight line and 24 ft lower than Paterson.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Newark, 13 mi away in a straight line and 52 ft lower.
Of the 5 cities in New Jersey with a page, Paterson is the highest. The others are Trenton (60 ft), Jersey City (33 ft), Newark (32 ft), and Elizabeth (19 ft).
The highest point in New Jersey is High Point, at 1,803 ft according to the USGS: 1,719 ft above Paterson, 38 mi away in a straight line.
- 186 Paterson 84 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Paterson.
What is the elevation of Paterson?
Paterson is 84 feet (26 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Paterson?
Latitude 40.91677 and longitude -74.17181, in decimal degrees (40° 55′ 0″ N · 74° 10′ 19″ W). In UTM, zone 18: 569,740 E and 4,529,847 N, on NAD83.
How does Paterson rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 64th lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Paterson in?
Passaic County, New Jersey.
Which is higher, Paterson or Trenton?
Paterson. Paterson sits at 84 ft and Trenton at 60 ft: a difference of 24 ft, 57 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know