Best Cities to Live in New Jersey

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by Chamber of Commerce Team
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New Jersey has a solid claim for being considered one of the best states to live in: great food, diverse communities, large swathes of parkland, and–of course–the Shore. Thinking about a move to the Garden State? It’s time to find out what New Jerseyians already know. Have a glance at New Jersey’s top five best cities to live in for advice on where to move in the state.

1. Jersey City

New Jersey City is the state’s most liveable city. Located just across the Hudson River from New York City, New Jersey City is closely connected to the Big Apple, both economically and physically, via transit connections, but benefits from cheaper rent prices and a lower cost of living, making it a great place to commute from if Manhattan life is beyond your budget.

2. Lawrence Township

Lawrence Township, New York’s #2 most liveable city is a world apart from #1 New Jersey City. Although it is located in the New York metro area, the affluent suburb of 33,000 is quiet, and peaceful, with a number of streams and walking trails within city limits.

3. Bridgewater

Bridgewater is located near the middle of the state, a bit outside of major metropolitan areas. The city boasts a median household income of over 100,000 largely due to a strong economy boosted by the presence of a number of Fortune 500 companies and pharmaceutical companies like Sanofi.

4. Mount Laurel

Placing fourth is Mount Laurel, a suburb of Philadelphia with a high median income that is home to Laurel Acres Park, an expansive public park with hills, a fishing lake, baseball, and soccer fields. The city is also home to NFL Films.

5. Basking Ridge

Filling out New Jersey’s top 5 is Basking Ridge, a small yet thriving community that is home to the headquarters of Vencore Labs, Verizon Wireless, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, along with a number of other large companies providing many job opportunities to potential residents.

Best Cities to Live in New Jersey

RankCity
1Jersey City
2Lawrence Township
3Bridgewater
4Mount Laurel
5Basking Ridge
6Hillsborough
7Parsippany
8Morristown
9Fair Lawn
10Randolph
11Mahwah
12Somerset
13Fort Lee
14Marlton
15Teaneck
16Cherry Hill
17Medford
18Piscataway
19Flemington
20Princeton
21Neptune
22Middletown
23Absecon
24Hightstown
25Riverside
26Mays Landing
27Manchester Township
28Ridgewood
29Edison
30Howell
31North Brunswick
32Matawan
33Egg Harbor Township
34Westwood
35East Brunswick
36Hoboken
37Freehold
38Englewood
39Montclair
40Bergenfield
41Voorhees
42Livingston
43Paramus
44Hackensack
45Dover
46Union
47Englishtown
48Wayne
49Woodbury
50Sewell
51Newton
52Asbury Park
53Westfield
54Monroe Township
55Little Falls
56Brick
57Rahway
58Burlington
59Willingboro
60Toms River
61Clifton
62Old Bridge
63Nutley
64Caldwell
65Blackwood
66Trenton
67Garfield
68Long Branch
69Hackettstown
70Phillipsburg
71Linden
72Clementon
73Vineland
74West Orange
75Sicklerville
76Jackson
77Williamstown
78Bloomfield
79Perth Amboy
80Kearny
81Bayonne
82Belleville
83Plainfield
84North Bergen
85Millville
86Lakewood
87New Brunswick
88Camden
89Atlantic City
90Elizabethport
91Bridgeton
92Elizabeth
93West New York
94East Orange
95Orange
96Irvington
97Union City
98Paterson
99Passaic
100Newark

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Best Cities To Live New Jersey 2019 badge

Methodology

We ranked a total of 2,509 qualified cities (those with populations above 25,000 and enough data for analysis) by five factors: employment (number of establishments, median earnings); housing (owner-occupied housing with a mortgage, monthly housing costs); quality of life (work commute, poverty levels); education (percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher); and health (obesity ratios).

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