Best PlacesDowntown Elizabeth, Elizabeth, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth ranks 4,643rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
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.
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
A household needs to earn about $136,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $57,429, 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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth's effective rate of 2.04%, 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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth'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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth.
Who works in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth, and how
Work in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 25%
Life in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 13 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth, month by month
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 71° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Newark Liberty International sits about 3 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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Schools across Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth average a B−, better than 58% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Joseph Battin School No 4D− · 14% proficient
- Winfield Scott School No. 2F · 10% proficient
- Nicholas S. Lacorte-peterstown School No. 3F · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- William F. Halloran School No.22B− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Elizabeth High School - Frank J Cicarell AcademyB · 47% proficient
- Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. Health & Public Safety AcademyD− · 13% proficient
- John E. Dwyer Technology AcademyD− · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth 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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Is Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth ranks 4,643rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on big-city access, fast internet, and walkability, 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 Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $445,198. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $57,429 median income, cost of living beats 12% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth safe?
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth is safer than 48% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $422 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth 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.
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth 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.