Best PlacesNorthwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, 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.
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood ranks 364th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
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.
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Household income$213,580 median, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood ranks low
- Short commute44.6 minutes each way, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
A household needs to earn about $344,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $213,580, 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 Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood's effective rate of 2.11%, 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 Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood.
Who works in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, and how
Work in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood centers on finance & insurance and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 36%
- Work from home 42%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
The coast is about 32 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, month by month
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood 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 Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
Laguardia sits about 20 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 16.3 million passengers in 2025, with 118 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
Schools across Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood average a B+, better than 83% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ho-ho-kus Public SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Ridge Elementary SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Willard Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- George Washington Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Ridgewood High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
- Midland Park Jr./sr. High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood 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 Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood
Is Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood ranks 364th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on tree cover, an educated workforce, and high incomes, and lowest on long commutes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,115,824. The overall cost of living runs about 39% above the national average. Set against a $213,580 median income, cost of living beats 98% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood safe?
Yes, Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood is safer than 90% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $163 per resident a year.
Compare Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood 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.
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood 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.