Best PlacesSouthwood, Old Bridge, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwood, Old Bridge, 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.
Southwood, Old Bridge ranks 2,091st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwood, Old Bridge
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.
Southwood, Old Bridge's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwood, Old Bridge ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Southwood, Old Bridge ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwood, Old Bridge
A household needs to earn about $129,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwood, Old Bridge home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $120,249; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Southwood, Old Bridge's effective rate of 1.57%, 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 Southwood, Old Bridge
Southwood, Old Bridge'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 Southwood, Old Bridge.
Who works in Southwood, Old Bridge, and how
Work in Southwood, Old Bridge centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Southwood, Old Bridge
The coast is about 11 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Southwood, Old Bridge, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southwood, Old Bridge, month by month
Southwood, Old Bridge sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 35° | 29° |
| April | 64° | 54° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 78° | 71° |
| October | 68° | 59° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Southwood, Old Bridge
Newark Liberty International sits about 22 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 Southwood, Old Bridge
Schools across Southwood, Old Bridge average a C, better than 39% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Virgil I. Grissom Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Raymond E. Voorhees Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- William A. Miller Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jonas Salk Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Old Bridge High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwood, Old Bridge school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwood, Old Bridge 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 Southwood, Old Bridge against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Southwood, Old Bridge
Is Southwood, Old Bridge a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwood, Old Bridge ranks 2,091st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on few empty homes, low crime, and fast internet, and lowest on state finances and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southwood, Old Bridge expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $446,352. The overall cost of living runs about 14% above the national average. Set against a $120,249 median income, cost of living beats 75% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwood, Old Bridge safe?
Yes, Southwood, Old Bridge is safer than 96% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $137 per resident a year.
Compare Southwood, Old Bridge with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwood, Old Bridge. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwood, Old Bridge 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.
Southwood, Old Bridge detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwood, Old Bridge: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwood, Old Bridge: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwood, Old Bridge: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwood, Old Bridge: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwood, Old Bridge 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.