Best PlacesForest Hill, Newark, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Forest Hill, Newark, 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.
Forest Hill, Newark ranks 3,745th 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 Forest Hill, Newark
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.
Forest Hill, Newark's strengths and weaknesses
Where Forest Hill, Newark ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Forest Hill, Newark ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD, better than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Short commute31.6 minutes each way, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Forest Hill, Newark
A household needs to earn about $131,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Forest Hill, Newark home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $68,772, 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 Forest Hill, Newark's effective rate of 1.84%, 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 Forest Hill, Newark
Forest Hill, Newark'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 Forest Hill, Newark.
Who works in Forest Hill, Newark, and how
Work in Forest Hill, Newark centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 64%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in Forest Hill, Newark
The coast is about 23 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Forest Hill, Newark, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Forest Hill, Newark, month by month
Forest Hill, Newark sees roughly 57 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 Forest Hill, Newark
Newark Liberty International sits about 6 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 Forest Hill, Newark
Schools across Forest Hill, Newark average a D, better than 11% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Robert Treat Academy Charter SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Belleville Ps10C · 30% proficient
- Maria Varisco Rogers Charter SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Belleville Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Bard Early College High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Belleville High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Forest Hill, Newark school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Forest Hill, Newark 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 Forest Hill, Newark against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Forest Hill, Newark suits
Families
Schools land around the 11th percentile and crime safety beats 65%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Forest Hill, Newark
Is Forest Hill, Newark a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Forest Hill, Newark ranks 3,745th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on big-city access, cell coverage, and fast internet, and lowest on state finances and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Forest Hill, Newark expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $439,344. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $68,772 median income, cost of living beats 28% of neighborhoods.
Is Forest Hill, Newark safe?
Yes, Forest Hill, Newark is safer than 65% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $252 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Forest Hill, Newark?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 26. That works out to about 57 pleasant days a year, more than 4% of neighborhoods.
Is Forest Hill, Newark good for families?
Schools beat 11% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 65%, and childcare runs $1,400 a month.
Compare Forest Hill, Newark with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Forest Hill, Newark. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Forest Hill, Newark 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.
Forest Hill, Newark detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Forest Hill, Newark: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Forest Hill, Newark: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Forest Hill, Newark: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Forest Hill, Newark: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Forest Hill, Newark 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.