10 Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey For 2018

If you’re like the rest of us, you’re looking for the perfect place for your family. But you have a strict criteria; the city has to be safe, affordable, and stimulating. Basically, the place you move – or even visit – has to be outright perfect.

Is that attainable? Perhaps not, but we’ll get you as close as we can.

Promise.

According to the United States Census, the number of American families who move is trending downwards Why is that? Perhaps it has to do with the ‘safety net’ factor: We get comfortable where we live, and we’re afraid to try a new move. What if the schools are bad? What if it’s dangerous?

Well, we can pretty much guarantee that if you choose the cities we’re mentioning below, you won’t lose any sleep whatsoever.

So, where are the best cities for families in New Jersey? We’ve got the answers here.

These are the best cities to raise a family in the Garden State:

1. Madison (Photos | Homes For Sale)
2. New Providence (Photos | Homes For Sale)
3. Glen Rock (Photos | Homes For Sale)
4. Summit (Photos | Homes For Sale)
5. River Edge (Photos | Homes For Sale)
6. Haddonfield (Photos | Homes For Sale)
7. Westfield (Photos | Homes For Sale)
8. Tenafly (Photos | Homes For Sale)
9. Kinnelon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
10. Ringwood (Photos | Homes For Sale)

If you’re thinking of making a move to New Jersey, and want a family-friendly place, we’ve got you covered. And if you already have kids, we’re surprised you made it this far into the article and hope your little ones give you a couple of more minutes of free time.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in New Jersey and, for those of you on a budget, the cheapest places to live in New Jersey.

How do you determine which place is best for families in New Jersey anyways?

To give you the places in New Jersey which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what’s family-friendly and what isn’t.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Garden State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of New Jersey, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

• Crime (Both violent and property)
• Quality of local schools
• Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
• % of households with children
• Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For New Jersey, that meant a total of 97 cities.

Read on to see why Madison is where all the families are headed, while Somers Point is probably a place made for singles.

1. Madison

Population: 16,090
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 67
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 38.1%
More on Madison: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 15,845, reflecting a drop in population of 685 from the 16,530 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 680 from the 15,850 counted in the 1990 Census. It is known as “The Rose City” and was named in honor of President James Madison.

2. New Providence

Population: 12,434
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 33
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 42.0%
More on New Providence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

New Providence is a borough on the northwestern edge of Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on the Passaic River, which forms the county boundary with Morris County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,171, reflecting an increase of 264 from the 11,907 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 468 from the 11,439 counted in the 1990 Census.

3. Glen Rock

Population: 11,887
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 42.5%
More on Glen Rock: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 11,601, reflecting an increase of 55 from the 11,546 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 663 from the 10,883 counted in the 1990 Census.

4. Summit

Population: 21,895
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 43.3%
More on Summit: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 21,457, reflecting an increase of 326 from the 21,131 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,374 from the 19,757 counted in the 1990 Census. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census.

5. River Edge

Population: 11,586
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 38.6%
More on River Edge: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

6. Haddonfield

Population: 11,444
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 34
Closest Major City: Philadelphia
Households with kids: 38.1%
More on Haddonfield: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593, reflecting a decline of 66 from the 11,659 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 31 from the 11,628 counted in the 1990 Census.

7. Westfield

Population: 30,438
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 44.0%
More on Westfield: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Westfield is a town in Union County of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town’s population was 30,316, reflecting an increase of 672 from the 29,644 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 774 from the 28,870 counted in the 1990 Census. According to a 2014 nationwide survey, Westfield is considered to be the 30th-safest city to live in the United States.

8. Tenafly

Population: 14,821
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 61
Closest Major City: New York
Households with kids: 48.2%
More on Tenafly: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

9. Kinnelon

Population: 10,239
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 36.5%
More on Kinnelon: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

10. Ringwood

Population: 12,398
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 34
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 40.7%
More on Ringwood: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 12,228, reflecting a decrease of 168 from the 12,396 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 227 from the 12,623 counted in the 1990 Census.

Load More Cities

There You Have It – The Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey

If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in New Jersey ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here’s a look at the best cities for singles New Jersey according to the data:

1. Somers Point
2. Manville
3. Lindenwold

For more New Jersey reading, check out:

• 10 Safest Places In New Jersey
• 10 Worst Places To Live In New Jersey
• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In New Jersey

Detailed List Of The Best Places For Families In New Jersey

Rank	City	Population	Amenities Score
1	Madison	16,090	50
2	New Providence	12,434	49
3	Glen Rock	11,887	44
4	Summit	21,895	48
5	River Edge	11,586	41
6	Haddonfield	11,444	38
7	Westfield	30,438	47
8	Tenafly	14,821	50
9	Kinnelon	10,239	60
10	Ringwood	12,398	43
11	Ridgefield	11,294	61
12	Westwood	11,170	54
13	Ridgewood	25,430	56
14	Oakland	13,041	39
15	Roselle Park	13,560	36
16	Hasbrouck Heights	12,124	33
17	Hillsdale	10,454	53
18	Lincoln Park	10,488	37
19	Metuchen	13,791	51
20	Dumont	17,788	40
21	Lodi	24,654	40
22	Bergenfield	27,513	59
23	Franklin Lakes	10,810	39
24	Highland Park	14,245	50
25	Little Ferry	10,868	41
26	Rutherford	18,480	58
27	New Milford	16,682	47
28	Paramus	26,795	37
29	South River	16,305	32
30	Ridgefield Park	12,976	47
31	Carteret	23,966	43
32	Edgewater	11,998	37
33	Ramsey	15,000	46
34	Woodland Park	12,358	61
35	Florham Park	11,787	35
36	Fairview	14,314	31
37	Rahway	28,884	53
38	Wallington	11,618	38
39	Hawthorne	18,950	54
40	Fair Lawn	33,205	40
41	Pompton Lakes	11,163	39
42	Paterson	146,894	72
43	Totowa	10,900	45
44	Plainfield	50,578	56
45	Dover	18,317	53
46	Woodbury	10,024	58
47	Wanaque	11,636	39
48	Passaic	70,536	44
49	Fort Lee	36,607	42
50	Palisades Park	20,499	40
51	New Brunswick	56,427	50
52	Elmwood Park	20,135	53
53	Englewood	28,184	59
54	Hackensack	44,271	48
55	Cliffside Park	24,661	37
56	South Plainfield	23,963	49
57	Kearny	42,029	50
58	Perth Amboy	52,265	53
59	Elizabeth	128,042	60
60	Garfield	31,456	58
61	Linden	41,595	47
62	Trenton	84,559	71
63	Roselle	21,507	53
64	Collingswood	13,925	60
65	Bayonne	65,772	60
66	Clifton	85,578	61
67	Newark	280,139	74
68	Red Bank	12,218	62
69	Sayreville	44,260	44
70	Phillipsburg	14,570	48
71	Hoboken	53,136	59
72	West New York	52,407	55
73	Guttenberg	11,628	48
74	Bridgeton	25,209	50
75	North Arlington	15,788	53
76	Beachwood	11,153	60
77	East Orange	64,621	45
78	Bellmawr	11,503	57
79	Bound Brook	10,512	48
80	Secaucus	18,737	34
81	North Plainfield	22,106	44
82	Point Pleasant	18,464	48
83	Hopatcong	14,633	35
84	Vineland	60,876	39
85	Pine Hill	10,472	32
86	Glassboro	19,195	50
87	Harrison	15,007	47
88	Hammonton	14,630	58
89	Long Branch	30,705	52
90	Millville	28,399	63
91	Tinton Falls	17,910	33
92	Pleasantville	20,532	39
93	Somerville	12,207	49
94	Asbury Park	15,850	57
95	Lindenwold	17,482	30
96	Manville	10,448	44
97	Somers Point	10,686	47