Best Places07006, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 07006, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
07006 ranks 1,483rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 07006
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
07006's strengths and weaknesses
Where 07006 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$149,798 median, better than 96% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 07006 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,400 a month, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 07006
A household needs to earn about $211,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 07006 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $149,798, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 07006's effective rate of 1.97%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 07006
07006's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 07006.
Who works in 07006, and how
Work in 07006 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 07006
07006 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 84% of zip codes. The coast is about 33 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 07006 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 07006, month by month
07006 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 07006
Newark Liberty International sits about 12 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 23.5 million passengers in 2025, with 242 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 07006
Schools across 07006 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Grandview Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Wilson Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gould/mountain Elementary SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- West Essex Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Grover Cleveland Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- West Essex High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- James Caldwell High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Essex County West Caldwell TechD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 07006 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
07006 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 07006 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 07006 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 21% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 07006
Is 07006 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 07006 ranks 1,483rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, population health, and high incomes, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 07006 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $698,060. The overall cost of living runs about 22% above the national average. Set against a $149,798 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 07006 safe?
Yes, 07006 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $164 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 07006?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 24. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of zip codes.
Is 07006 good for families?
Schools beat 59% of zip codes, crime safety beats 76%, and childcare runs $1,400 a month.
Compare 07006 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 07006. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 07006 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
07006 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 07006: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 07006: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 07006: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 07006: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
07006 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.