Population 4,103 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Highland Lake: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Highland Lake
Household size in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.60 | 2.79 | 2.77 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.70 | 2.85 | 2.82 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.65 | 2.82 | 2.78 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.37 | 2.79 | 2.76 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.24 | −0.00 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Highland Lake are small: just 2.37 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.60 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.9 | 38.0 | 39.1 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.6 | 38.7 | 40.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 42.3 | 39.8 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 51.3 | 40.4 | 40.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +12.4 | +2.4 | +1.8 | +2.3 |
Highland Lake skews older: half of its residents are older than 51.3, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.3% | 12.8% | 11.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.2% | 11.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.8% | 11.6% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.7 pts | −1.5 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Highland Lake (9.8%), a little below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Highland Lake
Renters in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.5% | 47.1% | 33.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.6% | 48.7% | 35.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 6.0% | 48.8% | 36.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 48.6% | 36.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | +1.5 pts | +3.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 6.3% of households in Highland Lake rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About a quarter of owners (25.4%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.0% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.4% | 9.0% | 9.3% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 15.2% | 9.1% | 9.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 17.3% | 7.9% | 6.6% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | −1.2 pts | −2.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 17.3% of the housing in Highland Lake, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1965 | 1957 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1961 | 1958 | 1966 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1966 | 1959 | 1967 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1968 | 1962 | 1969 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +5 | +5 | +6 |
Highland Lake is a place of older homes: half were built before 1968, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Even so, homes here are newer than in the New York area as a whole, where the median home dates to 1962.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,443 | $1,268 | $1,246 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,391 | $1,377 | $1,324 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,714 | $1,645 | $1,522 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,208 | $2,060 | $1,896 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$766 | +$792 | +$651 | +$606 |
Rent in Highland Lake runs $2,208 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 51.0% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Highland Lake
Bachelor's degrees in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.3% | 35.0% | 34.7% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 29.9% | 36.7% | 36.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 40.2% | 39.9% | 39.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 45.4% | 43.6% | 43.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +18.1 pts | +8.6 pts | +8.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
More than four in ten adults 25 and older in Highland Lake (45.4%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the national share of 35.6%. The New York area as a whole looks much the same.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 95.6% | 83.7% | 87.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 93.0% | 84.6% | 88.1% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.8% | 86.2% | 89.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 98.7% | 86.9% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.1 pts | +3.3 pts | +3.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Highland Lake: 98.7% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Highland Lake
| Period | Highland Lake | New York area | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.5% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.6% | 9.5% | 9.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.2% | 5.7% | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.8% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | −6.7 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Highland Lake runs below the national rate: 3.8% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Highland Lake compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Lake | 2.37 | 51.3 | 9.8% | 6.3% | 17.3% | 1968 | $2,208 | 45.4% | 98.7% | 3.8% |
| Highland Lakes | 2.48 | 58.1 | 7.7% | 0.6% | 17.1% | 1971 | $2,261 | 35.0% | 97.2% | 4.5% |
| Vernon | 2.58 | 44.5 | 8.1% | 9.6% | 12.0% | 1979 | $2,089 | 35.3% | 96.8% | 6.2% |
| Glenwood | 2.50 | 48.2 | 5.8% | 6.7% | 4.1% | 1975 | $1,555 | 39.1% | 97.8% | 12.8% |
| Upper Greenwood Lake | 2.40 | 42.0 | 5.3% | 9.1% | 7.9% | 1974 | $2,176 | 45.7% | 98.7% | 4.4% |
| Hewitt | 2.51 | 46.9 | 3.9% | 12.9% | 12.3% | 1963 | $2,075 | 39.5% | 97.6% | 6.3% |
| Hamburg | 2.23 | 48.9 | 9.3% | 24.8% | 4.0% | 1989 | $1,903 | 35.0% | 95.1% | 4.3% |
| Sussex | 2.38 | 40.5 | 8.4% | 41.9% | 9.4% | 1962 | $1,796 | 33.7% | 93.1% | 3.1% |
| West Milford | 2.65 | 47.4 | 4.8% | 9.8% | 6.0% | 1973 | $1,612 | 39.9% | 95.2% | 4.5% |
| Franklin | 2.29 | 48.6 | 8.6% | 41.8% | 5.6% | 1958 | $1,390 | 20.6% | 91.3% | 7.1% |
| Stockholm | 2.43 | 50.1 | 4.9% | 16.9% | 11.0% | 1968 | $2,070 | 40.5% | 93.9% | 6.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Stanfield, NC · Vandercook Lake, MI · St. Augustine South, FL · Sunman, IN · St. Charles, MI · Staples, MN · Springvale, ME · Kirkville, NY · Oak Grove, LA · Cherokee Village, AR
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Highland Lake. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.