Sell Your Commercial Property In Trenton, NJ

Who rents in Trenton

Renters occupy 62.1% of Trenton's 32,052 occupied homes, or 19,900 households, per ACS 2020-2024 table B25003. Mercer County has a 37.8% renter share, and New Jersey has 36.2%. Trenton holds 36.5% of Mercer County's 54,545 renter households.

Trenton's renter base is growing. The ACS 2015-2019 estimates counted 17,636 renter households, so the 2020-2024 count is 12.8% higher. Trenton's population is 90,338 in table B01003, or 23.4% of Mercer County.

State government anchors local demand. State government averaged 55,788 jobs in Mercer County in 2025, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. That is 21.3% of the 261,312 jobs covered in Mercer County.

Rail adds a second anchor. Trenton's station logged 442,137 Amtrak boardings and alightings in fiscal 2025, per Amtrak's New Jersey fact sheet. Only Newark Penn Station, at 884,002, was busier in New Jersey.

Rents and affordability in Trenton

Median gross rent in Trenton is $1,294 a month, per ACS 2020-2024 table B25064. That is $329, or 20.3%, below Mercer County's $1,623. The 2015-2019 median was $1,026, so Trenton's median has risen 26.1%.

Median household income in Trenton is $52,537, so a median rent takes 29.6% of a median income. Even so, 55.7% of renter households, or 11,094, pay 30% or more of income for rent, per table B25070. Of those, 6,068 households, or 30.5% of all renters, pay half or more.

Rental vacancy is 4.3% in Trenton, 2.9% in Mercer County and 3.5% statewide, per ACS profile table DP04. Under HUD's FY2027 fair market rents for the Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA, a two-bedroom is $2,242. That is $948 above Trenton's median, which blends every unit size and lease age.

Source: HUD FY2027 FMR documentation, effective October 1, 2026.

Trenton's apartment stock

Trenton has 8,791 homes in buildings of five or more units, 25.5% of its 34,513 housing units, per ACS table B25024. Buildings of 50 or more units hold 4,526 of them, or 51.5%. Trenton's total is 25.1% of the 34,999 such units in Mercer County.

Single-family attached homes are Trenton's largest housing type, with 14,968 units, or 43.4% of the stock. Two-to-four unit buildings add 5,083 units, while detached houses make up 16.2%.

The median year built is 1953. In table B25034, 79.3% of Trenton homes predate 1980, and 38.1% predate 1940. Only 1,641 units, or 4.8%, date from 2010 or later.

Building age shapes every sale here. An owner who wants to sell commercial property in Trenton, NJ should expect buyers to ask for boiler, roof and plumbing records. That holds in Chambersburg and in every other Trenton neighborhood.

Property taxes in Mercer County

Trenton's 2025 general tax rate is 5.890 per $100 of assessed value, per the NJ Division of Taxation 2025 rate table. The Division lists Trenton's effective tax rate at 3.468, the highest of any Mercer County district. Neighboring Ewing shows 2.690, Hamilton 2.434 and Lawrence 2.376.

Assessments in Trenton sit well below market value. The 2026 Mercer County final equalization table puts Trenton's average ratio of assessed to true value at 53.53%. The 2025 table showed 60.13%.

Take a $2,000,000 apartment building. At the 3.468 effective rate, the annual tax is about $69,360. The 5.890 general rate applies to assessed value; on a full $2,000,000 assessment it would bill $117,800.

Appeals go to the Mercer County Board of Taxation by April 1, or 45 days after assessment notices are mailed, whichever is later. That rule comes from the Division's 2026 work calendar for districts without a revaluation or reassessment. When assessed value exceeds $1,000,000, the owner may file directly with the Tax Court.

The seller pays New Jersey's realty transfer fee, which reaches $6.05 per $500 above $1,000,000. Applying the brackets one by one, as the Division FAQ does, the fee on a $2,000,000 deed is $21,675. Owners who plan to sell commercial real estate in Trenton, NJ should net that fee out of any offer.

Landlord rules in Trenton

Trenton caps renewal increases at 4% for regular tenants and 2% for senior or disabled tenants, under § 222-6 of its rent control chapter. Ordinance 24-28 amended that section on May 9, 2024. A Rent Stabilization Board administers Chapter 222.

Chapter 222 exempts owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings and federally subsidized housing. Newly created units may set their first rent freely, but later increases are covered. After a vacancy, § 222-16 lets a landlord raise the rent without Board approval. A new tenant whose rent rose more than 25% may seek a reduction from the Board.

Under § 222-20, every landlord gives each new tenant a certificate of registration and files it with the City Clerk or another designated official. New Jersey has no statewide law governing rent increases, per the Department of Community Affairs.

A security deposit may not exceed 1 1/2 months' rent under N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2. At Trenton's $1,294 median rent, that is $1,941. The landlord must return it within 30 days after the lease ends, under N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1. On a sale, N.J.S.A. 46:8-20 moves deposits and interest to the buyer at deed delivery or within five days.

Under the Anti-Eviction Act notice rule, N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2, nonpayment of rent needs no written pre-suit notice. Disorderly conduct or damage needs three days' notice, and habitual late payment or rule violations need one month. The state Bureau of Housing Inspection registers multiple dwellings for $100 per building and inspects every two, five or seven years.

What this means if you own a building in Trenton

Three numbers frame a sale in Trenton. Rental vacancy is 4.3%, median rent is $1,294, and covered renewals face a 4% cap. Buyers will also price a 3.468 effective tax rate and a $21,675 transfer fee on a $2,000,000 deed.

If you want to sell commercial property in Trenton, NJ, gather your Chapter 222 registration certificates, deposit ledgers and latest tax bill first. Then test pricing with our cap rate calculator.

Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit apartment buildings in Trenton and nearby Hamilton, Ewing and Lawrence, listed or off-market. Our seller page explains how we underwrite. If you plan to sell your apartment building in Trenton, we can give you a direct offer.