Best PlacesAllwood, Clifton, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Allwood, Clifton, 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.
Allwood, Clifton ranks 1,656th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Allwood, Clifton
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.
Allwood, Clifton's strengths and weaknesses
Where Allwood, Clifton ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Household income$133,301 median, better than 86% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where Allwood, Clifton ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,456 a month, better than only 24% of neighborhoods
- School gradeC−, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Allwood, Clifton
A household needs to earn about $146,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Allwood, Clifton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $133,301; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Allwood, Clifton's effective rate of 2.21%, 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 Allwood, Clifton
Allwood, Clifton'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 Allwood, Clifton.
Who works in Allwood, Clifton, and how
Work in Allwood, Clifton 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 64%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in Allwood, Clifton
Allwood, Clifton has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 28 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Allwood, Clifton and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Allwood, Clifton, month by month
Allwood, Clifton sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 34° | 26° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of Allwood, Clifton
Newark Liberty International sits about 11 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 Allwood, Clifton
Schools across Allwood, Clifton average a C−, better than 25% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Oak View Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- School #9C · 34% proficient
- School #14C− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Woodrow Wilson Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Bloomfield Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Christopher Columbus Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Clifton High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Allwood, Clifton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Allwood, Clifton 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 Allwood, Clifton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Allwood, Clifton
Is Allwood, Clifton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Allwood, Clifton ranks 1,656th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on few empty homes, big-city access, and fast internet, 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 Allwood, Clifton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $466,906. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $133,301 median income, cost of living beats 85% of neighborhoods.
Is Allwood, Clifton safe?
Yes, Allwood, Clifton is safer than 63% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $265 per resident a year.
Compare Allwood, Clifton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Allwood, Clifton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Allwood, Clifton 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.
Allwood, Clifton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Allwood, Clifton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Allwood, Clifton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Allwood, Clifton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Allwood, Clifton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Allwood, Clifton 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.