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Out of boredom I decided to make a ranking system of New Jersey's prominent towns. Perhaps this could serve as guide for future NJ residents not sure what town to pick (I see this a lot around the forums)? Tell me if you agree/disagree with this ranking, and add any towns which I may have left out.
S-Tier (Wealthiest)
Alpine
Bernardsville
Millburn Twp
Peapack and Gladstone
Rumson
Saddle River/Upper Saddle River
The Chathams
Berkeley Heights Twp
Bridgewater Twp
Cape May
Chester/Chester Twp
Denville/Boonton
East Brunswick Twp
East Hanover/Hanover/Florham Park
East Windsor/Hightstown/Robbinsville
Edison Twp
Fair Lawn
Freehold Twp
Haddonfield/Haddon Twp
Hillsborough/Montgomery Twp
Hoboken
Jefferson Twp/Rockaway Twp
Livingston Twp
Madison
Manalapan Twp
Marlboro Twp
Maplewood/South Orange
Middletown Twp
Monroe Twp
Montclair/Verona
Paramus
Parsippany Twp
Plainsboro Twp
Pt. Pleasant/Brielle
Readington Twp
Roxbury Twp/Mt. Olive Twp
Scotch Plains/Fanwood/Garwood
South Brunswick Twp
Sparta Twp
Springfield Twp
The Amwells
The Caldwells
Voorhees/Berlin
Wall Twp
Watchung/Warren Twp
Wayne Twp
West Orange Twp
C-Tier (Standard Middle Class)
Barnegat Twp/Stafford Twp
Bordentown
Bloomfield Twp
Brick Twp
Cherry Hill Twp
Clifton
Deptford/West Deptford
Dunellon/Green Brook/Middlesex
Eatontown
Elmwood Park
Englewood/Teaneck
Evesham/Marlton
Ewing Twp
Flemington
Fort Lee/Palisades Park/Cliffside Park
Franklin Twp/Somerset
Hamilton Twp
Hazlet Twp
Howell Twp
Jackson Twp
Lake Hopatcong
Lawrence Twp
Matawan/Aberdeen
Maywood/Saddle Brook
Mt. Laurel Twp
North Bergen Twp
North Brunswick Twp
North Plainfield
Nutley/Lyndhurst
Oakland/Riverdale/Pompton Lakes
Old Bridge Twp
Pennsville/Penns Grove/Carneys Point
Piscataway Twp/South Plainfield
Rahway
Sayreville
Somerville/Raritan
The Rutherfords
Tinton Falls
West Milford Twp/Vernon Twp
Woodbridge Twp
Woodbury/Wenonah
D-Tier (Lower Middle Class)
Bayonne
Bayville/Lacey Twp
Belleville
Bloomingdale/Butler
Bound Brook/South Bound Brook
Carteret
City of Orange
Dover/Wharton
Galloway/Egg Harbor
Garfield/Wallington
Glassboro/Clayton
Gloucester City
Hackensack
Hackettstown
Haledon/North Haledon/Hawthorne
Hammonton
Hillside Twp
Kearny/Harrison/North Arlington
Keyport
Linden
Long Branch
Manchester Twp/Lakehurst
Manville
Morristown
Neptune City/Neptune Twp
New Egypt/Plumsted
Newton
Pemberton/New Hanover/County Lake Estates
Pennsauken Twp
Roselle/Roselle Park
South Amboy
Toms River
Totowa/Little Falls
Union Twp
Wanaque
Washington
Willingboro
E-Tier (Working Class)
Asbury Park
Beverly
Browns Mills
Burlington
East Orange
Elizabeth
Jersey City
Irvington
Keansburg
Lakewood
Millville
New Brunswick
Perth Amboy
Phillipsburg
Plainfield
Pleasantville
Salem
Seaside Heights
Vineland
West New York/Guttenberg
Wildwood
F-Tier (Underclass/High Poverty)
Atlantic City
Bridgeton
Camden
Newark
Passaic
Paterson
Trenton
Union City
First, you're of course missing many towns, and on what planet is Morristown a "D", but Morris Plains and Morris Twp, are "A", when they all send their kids to the same school?
Anyways, this is essentially the same thing as the "District Factor Group" score that applies to school districts. See here for info.
The scale goes from J to A, with "J" towns having the highest socioeconomic characteristics, while "A" towns have the lowest.
First, you're of course missing many towns, and on what planet is Morristown a "D", but Morris Plains and Morris Twp, are "A", when they all send their kids to the same school?
Anyways, this is essentially the same thing as the "District Factor Group" score that applies to school districts. See here for info.
The scale goes from J to A, with "J" towns having the highest socioeconomic characteristics, while "A" towns have the lowest.
Yeah, I left out the smaller/less significant towns, otherwise the list would be too long. I guess putting Morristown in the D category may be a bit harsh, but it is nowhere near as wealthy as the surrounding towns. There are nice streets but also many with low-rent apartments/multi-family homes.
Looking at school district ratings isn't always the most reliable way to judge a town's socieconomic status. Towns like Hoboken and Montclair may be quite wealthy but have a low performing public school system. Some of the Abbott district towns like Neptune and Pemberton may have terrible schools, but those towns really aren't that poor.
Hmmmm..... I don't really consider Bernardsville to be in the top 5-10 wealthiest towns in NJ, but maybe I'm missing something? It's a nice area for sure, but that seems like a stretch.
And Union City shouldn't be in the bottom group (below Irvington??) It seems like a solidly middle class, mostly Hispanic area. I've never got the sense that it was at all dangerous or sketchy, certainly not in the same category as Camden.
- Bernardsville should probably in the same tier as Basking Ridge (Bernards Twp) and Bedminster. Instead I feel Far Hills can be in the S-tier. Tenafly should also be added to S-tier I think. Both towns should be added.
- Holmdel Twp probably belongs to B-Tier, agree on Colts Neck though. No way Millstone Twp belongs in A-tier, it belongs in B-Tier.
Same I feel for Randolph Twp, Morris Twp, Morris Plains (should move to B-tier)
- Tewksbury Twp should be added to A-tier at least (it has the hightest per capita income in whole NJ after Alpine) if not B-Tier I guess.
- Clinton Twp, Long Valley (Washington Twp in Morris county) probably belongs in B-tier and should be added to this list.
- East Windsor/Hightstown belongs to C-Tier. Probably Robbinsville too.. but may not be with all the McMansions there and new constructions
Hmmmm..... I don't really consider Bernardsville to be in the top 5-10 wealthiest towns in NJ, but maybe I'm missing something? It's a nice area for sure, but that seems like a stretch.
And Union City shouldn't be in the bottom group (below Irvington??) It seems like a solidly middle class, mostly Hispanic area. I've never got the sense that it was at all dangerous or sketchy, certainly not in the same category as Camden.
I thought Bernardsville was one of NJ's richest towns? Maybe that's Peapack and Gladstone I'm thinking of.
I also thought Union City was the poorest. It is the poorest city in Hudson County and has a poverty level/median income on par with Newark. Irvington may have more violent crime, but it isn't as poverty-stricken.
- Bernardsville should probably in the same tier as Basking Ridge (Bernards Twp) and Bedminster. Instead I feel Far Hills can be in the S-tier. Tenafly should also be added to S-tier I think. Both towns should be added.
- Holmdel Twp probably belongs to B-Tier, agree on Colts Neck though. No way Millstone Twp belongs in A-tier, it belongs in B-Tier.
Same I feel for Randolph Twp, Morris Twp, Morris Plains (should move to B-tier)
- Tewksbury Twp should be added to A-tier at least (it has the hightest per capita income in whole NJ after Alpine) if not B-Tier I guess.
- Clinton Twp, Long Valley (Washington Twp in Morris county) probably belongs in B-tier and should be added to this list.
- East Windsor/Hightstown belongs to C-Tier. Probably Robbinsville too.. but may not be with all the McMansions there and new constructions
Tenafly isn't S tier. Its the same range as closter/demarest/cresskill lol
Hmmmm..... I don't really consider Bernardsville to be in the top 5-10 wealthiest towns in NJ, but maybe I'm missing something? It's a nice area for sure, but that seems like a stretch.
And Union City shouldn't be in the bottom group (below Irvington??) It seems like a solidly middle class, mostly Hispanic area. I've never got the sense that it was at all dangerous or sketchy, certainly not in the same category as Camden.
That was my thought also. Those cities he grouped Union City with all look like places where you wouldn't want to walk alone at night. I've had no issues with violent crime in Union City in 7+ years. Plus, rent and real estate prices would indicate it's at least working class.
- Bernardsville should probably in the same tier as Basking Ridge (Bernards Twp) and Bedminster. Instead I feel Far Hills can be in the S-tier. Tenafly should also be added to S-tier I think. Both towns should be added.
- Holmdel Twp probably belongs to B-Tier, agree on Colts Neck though. No way Millstone Twp belongs in A-tier, it belongs in B-Tier.
Same I feel for Randolph Twp, Morris Twp, Morris Plains (should move to B-tier)
- Tewksbury Twp should be added to A-tier at least (it has the hightest per capita income in whole NJ after Alpine) if not B-Tier I guess.
- Clinton Twp, Long Valley (Washington Twp in Morris county) probably belongs in B-tier and should be added to this list.
- East Windsor/Hightstown belongs to C-Tier. Probably Robbinsville too.. but may not be with all the McMansions there and new constructions
Good input, will make these changes as well as add in a few other towns.
My only disagreement is Millstone. I can see the case for it to be demoted to B-Tier, but it is also one of the wealthiest towns in Monmouth as well as CNJ. If you've ever driven through there, it is mostly large estates/mansions with horse farms and very large lots. Definitely a step up from neighboring Manalapan or Freehold. I would say it's on par with Colts Neck, which is where I used to live.
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