Best PlacesSouth Ironbound, Newark, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Ironbound, 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.
South Ironbound, Newark ranks 5,420th 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 South Ironbound, 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.
South Ironbound, Newark's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Ironbound, Newark ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 74% of neighborhoods
Where South Ironbound, Newark ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Ironbound, Newark
A household needs to earn about $140,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Ironbound, Newark home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $62,827, 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 South Ironbound, Newark's effective rate of 2.28%, 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 South Ironbound, Newark
South Ironbound, Newark runs younger than the country, 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 South Ironbound, Newark.
Who works in South Ironbound, Newark, and how
Work in South Ironbound, Newark centers on retail trade and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 48%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 47%
Life in South Ironbound, Newark
The coast is about 17 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across South Ironbound, Newark, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Ironbound, Newark, month by month
South Ironbound, Newark 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 South Ironbound, Newark
Newark Liberty International sits about 2 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 South Ironbound, Newark
Schools across South Ironbound, Newark average a D, better than 10% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- South Street Elementary SchoolD− · 14% proficient
- Dr. E. Alma Flagg SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Bard Early College High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Ironbound, Newark school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Ironbound, 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 South Ironbound, Newark against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Ironbound, Newark
Is South Ironbound, Newark a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Ironbound, Newark ranks 5,420th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on big-city access, cell coverage, 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 South Ironbound, Newark expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $445,909. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $62,827 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is South Ironbound, Newark safe?
South Ironbound, Newark is safer than 34% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $381 per resident a year.
Compare South Ironbound, Newark with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Ironbound, Newark. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Ironbound, 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.
South Ironbound, Newark detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Ironbound, Newark: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Ironbound, Newark: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Ironbound, Newark: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Ironbound, Newark: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Ironbound, 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.