Best PlacesNew Jersey Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in New Jersey, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
New Jersey ranks 16th of 50 U.S. states on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $118,299, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are property taxes, state finances, and the weather.
The best neighborhoods in New Jersey
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.
The best areas in New Jersey
The counties of New Jersey, grouped by direction and ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the state.
Morris County
Tree cover is thicker, local pay stretches further, and incomes run higher.
Warren County & Sussex County
It is quieter, though streets are more car-dependent.
Middlesex County, Union County & Somerset County
More adults hold degrees.
Mercer County & Hunterdon County
Prices have run up less.
Monmouth County
Scores close to Mercer County & Hunterdon County, except that homes cost more here.
Bergen County, Essex County & Hudson County
Transit reaches more jobs, though crime runs higher.
Ocean County
More homes sit empty and disaster risk is higher.
Camden County, Burlington County & Gloucester County
Big-city amenities are further off and advertised internet is slower.
Atlantic County
Heat risk is higher and fewer households have young kids.
New Jersey shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 1% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
New Jersey's strengths and weaknesses
New Jersey lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. High incomes is the standout, in the top 1% of states. Few empty homes and big-city access follow.
The one real hole is property taxes, near the bottom of the country. State finances and the weather also cost it ground. Cost swings more from one part of New Jersey to another than it does between New Jersey and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where New Jersey ranks high
- Household income$118,299 median, better than 99% of states
- Low vacancyBetter than 99% of states
- Big-city accessBetter than 99% of states
- WalkabilityBetter than 97% of states
- Health outlookBetter than 95% of states
Where New Jersey ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of states
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of states
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of states
- Short commute30.5 minutes each way, better than only 5% of states
- Cheap childcare$1,459 a month, better than only 11% of states
What it costs to buy a home in New Jersey
A household needs to earn about $153,000 a year to comfortably buy the median New Jersey home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $118,299, 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 New Jersey's effective rate of 2.00%, 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 New Jersey
New Jersey'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 New Jersey.
Who works in New Jersey, and how
Work in New Jersey centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in New Jersey
New Jersey has more restaurants and bars per resident than 94% of states and less late-night activity than most states. New Jersey has 130 miles of ocean coastline. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of New Jersey and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in New Jersey, month by month
New Jersey sees roughly 64 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° |
The best schools in and around New Jersey
Schools across New Jersey average a C, better than 19% of states.
Top elementary schools
- Meredith William M SchA+ · 95% proficient
- Brooklyn School Of InquiryA+ · 93% proficient
- Durham-nockamixon El SchA+ · 90% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Hope-solebury MsA+ · 69% proficient
- Millburn Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Mount Pleasant Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
Top high schools
- Leon M Goldstein High School For The SciencesA+ · 98% proficient
- Hastings High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
- High School Mathematics Science And Engineering At CcnyA+ · 98% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every New Jersey school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey against the other 49 states.
Who New Jersey suits
Families
Schools land around the 19th percentile and crime safety beats 71%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 87% of states, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 17% already work from home.
Common questions about living in New Jersey
Is New Jersey a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, New Jersey ranks 16th of 50 states. It scores highest on high incomes, few empty homes, and big-city access, and lowest on property taxes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is New Jersey expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $503,265. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $118,299 median income, cost of living beats 87% of states.
Is New Jersey safe?
Yes, New Jersey is safer than 71% of states. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $216 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in New Jersey?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 26. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 4% of states.
What are the best areas in New Jersey?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Morris County, Warren County & Sussex County, and Middlesex County, Union County & Somerset County. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is New Jersey good for families?
Schools beat 19% of states, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $1,459 a month.
Is New Jersey good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 87% of states, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 93% of states. About 17% of workers already work from home.
Compare New Jersey with other states
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to New Jersey. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in New Jersey 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.
New Jersey detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for New Jersey: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in New Jersey: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of New Jersey: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in New Jersey: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
New Jersey 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.
- 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.