The 10 Best Small Towns In New Jersey For 2024


The best small towns in New Jersey are Ho-Ho-Kus and Pennington for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: January 12, 2024

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in New Jersey. Best sururbs in New Jersey. Best counties in New Jersey.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Garden State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in New Jersey based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in New Jersey ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In New Jersey For 2024

  1. Ho-Ho-Kus
  2. Pennington
  3. Hopewell
  4. Shark River Hills
  5. Plainsboro Center
  6. Brielle
  7. Essex Fells
  8. Mountain Lakes
  9. Barclay
  10. Bay Head
  11. Avalon
  12. Monmouth Beach
  13. Shrewsbury
  14. West Belmar
  15. Spring Lake

Best Small Towns To Live In New Jersey Map

What’s the best small town in New Jersey? Ho-Ho-Kus is the best small town in New Jersey based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Ho-Ho-Kus, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Garden State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In New Jersey For 2024

1. Ho-Ho-Kus

Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 4,234
Median Income: $250,001 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $1,173,280 (13th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%

2. Pennington

Pennington, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 2,780
Median Income: $166,957 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $615,576 (53rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%

3. Hopewell

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,825
Median Income: $137,138 (34th Best)
Median Home Value: $629,628 (52nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%

4. Shark River Hills

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 3,010
Median Income: $122,500 (48th Best)
Median Home Value: $550,322 (67th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%

5. Plainsboro Center

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,766
Median Income: $112,629 (67th Best)
Median Home Value: $569,716 (58th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%

6. Brielle

Brielle, NJ

Source: Wikipedia User Nightscream | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 4,957
Median Income: $160,845 (22nd Best)
Median Home Value: $1,011,986 (18th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

7. Essex Fells

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 2,290
Median Income: $247,000 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $1,234,586 (11th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

8. Mountain Lakes

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 4,499
Median Income: $250,001 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $1,007,417 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%

9. Barclay

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 4,504
Median Income: $156,696 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $512,151 (77th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

10. Bay Head

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 1,096
Median Income: $127,500 (39th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,970,198 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%

11. Avalon

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,459
Median Income: $153,295 (26th Best)
Median Home Value: $2,484,336 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%

12. Monmouth Beach

Monmouth Beach, NJ

Source: Wikipedia User Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image’s Commons talk page or my English Wikipedia talk page; I’ll know about it a lot faster) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,199
Median Income: $144,792 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $995,570 (20th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

13. Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,138
Median Income: $158,065 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $818,921 (32nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%

14. West Belmar

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,279
Median Income: $108,667 (75th Best)
Median Home Value: $584,293 (55th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%

15. Spring Lake

Spring Lake, NJ

Source: Wikipedia User Dmadeo | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,788
Median Income: $157,250 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,112,616 (14th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In New Jersey

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in New Jersey possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 195 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 195, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in New Jersey. Top of that list — Ho-Ho-Kus.

This is our tenth time ranking the best small places to live in New Jersey.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in New Jersey are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in New Jersey are Ho-Ho-Kus, Pennington, Hopewell, Shark River Hills, Plainsboro Center, Brielle, Essex Fells, Mountain Lakes, Barclay, and Bay Head.

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in New Jersey:

  1. Port Norris
  2. Seabrook Farms
  3. Oxford

For more New Jersey reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In New Jersey

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 4,234 $250,001 2.0%
2 Pennington, NJ 2,780 $166,957 2.8%
3 Hopewell, NJ 1,825 $137,138 1.9%
4 Shark River Hills, NJ 3,010 $122,500 2.8%
5 Plainsboro Center, NJ 2,766 $112,629 2.7%
6 Brielle, NJ 4,957 $160,845 6.1%
7 Essex Fells, NJ 2,290 $247,000 4.2%
8 Mountain Lakes, NJ 4,499 $250,001 2.6%
9 Barclay, NJ 4,504 $156,696 3.4%
10 Bay Head, NJ 1,096 $127,500 2.7%
11 Avalon, NJ 1,459 $153,295 2.9%
12 Monmouth Beach, NJ 3,199 $144,792 4.2%
13 Shrewsbury, NJ 4,138 $158,065 4.0%
14 West Belmar, NJ 2,279 $108,667 3.9%
15 Spring Lake, NJ 2,788 $157,250 2.6%
16 Vista Center, NJ 2,457 $126,902 1.7%
17 Medford Lakes, NJ 4,263 $139,879 3.4%
18 Wanamassa, NJ 4,344 $162,954 1.9%
19 Harrington Park, NJ 4,826 $183,138 2.6%
20 Demarest, NJ 4,930 $165,119 4.8%
21 Singac, NJ 4,253 $96,467 3.7%
22 Cranbury, NJ 2,430 $202,250 4.4%
23 Sea Girt, NJ 2,031 $218,438 4.5%
24 Mendham, NJ 4,968 $212,550 3.1%
25 Beach Haven West, NJ 4,920 $111,882 2.6%
26 Lavallette, NJ 2,036 $108,750 1.2%
27 Haworth, NJ 3,342 $215,972 3.4%
28 Wenonah, NJ 2,213 $127,125 4.7%
29 Island Heights, NJ 1,521 $105,089 3.2%
30 Fairview, NJ 4,234 $187,132 6.7%
31 Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ 1,792 $106,563 5.6%
32 Griggstown, NJ 1,102 $167,656 8.4%
33 Northvale, NJ 4,769 $120,278 4.1%
34 Pine Beach, NJ 2,402 $116,518 3.2%
35 Turnersville, NJ 2,989 $152,120 4.1%
36 Richwood, NJ 3,656 $201,037 7.4%
37 Alle, NJ 1,817 $113,438 4.7%
38 Surf City, NJ 1,325 $110,750 4.7%
39 Lambertville, NJ 4,127 $102,482 5.8%
40 Peapack And Gladstone, NJ 2,561 $183,125 1.8%
41 Garwood, NJ 4,542 $107,823 6.0%
42 Clinton, NJ 2,775 $137,688 3.6%
43 Lawrenceville, NJ 3,759 $115,577 7.2%
44 Oakhurst, NJ 3,912 $130,313 6.8%
45 Saddle River, NJ 3,363 $228,750 9.6%
46 Ten Mile Run, NJ 2,241 $162,557 3.6%
47 Bordentown, NJ 3,989 $88,153 3.0%
48 Riverton, NJ 2,764 $122,069 4.0%
49 Bradley Beach, NJ 4,268 $89,967 3.4%
50 Alpine, NJ 1,449 $228,194 8.9%
51 Sea Isle City, NJ 2,047 $90,703 5.8%
52 North Middletown, NJ 3,158 $136,500 2.0%
53 Navesink, NJ 1,727 $163,699 11.2%
54 Lake Telemark, NJ 1,301 $168,448 2.5%
55 Spring Lake Heights, NJ 4,864 $104,143 6.3%
56 Leonardo, NJ 2,336 $113,750 5.6%
57 Chester, NJ 1,480 $142,857 2.9%
58 Ocean Grove, NJ 3,129 $72,500 7.2%
59 Ocean Gate, NJ 1,682 $67,788 3.4%
60 Stanhope, NJ 3,533 $125,938 3.2%
61 Woodbury Heights, NJ 3,092 $112,222 1.1%
62 Weston, NJ 2,144 $87,417 4.7%
63 Atlantic Highlands, NJ 4,409 $118,591 6.2%
64 Laurel Springs, NJ 2,004 $113,500 4.5%
65 North Beach Haven, NJ 2,250 $104,183 10.7%
66 Cape May, NJ 2,815 $69,896 4.7%
67 Port Reading, NJ 4,040 $139,864 5.5%
68 Dover Beaches South, NJ 1,474 $97,400 4.5%
69 Mullica Hill, NJ 4,454 $123,265 4.9%
70 Country Lake Estates, NJ 4,179 $114,914 2.9%
71 Riverdale, NJ 4,081 $103,214 2.4%
72 White House Station, NJ 3,788 $104,155 10.4%
73 Flemington, NJ 4,864 $85,306 3.8%
74 Six Mile Run, NJ 3,535 $115,526 2.3%
75 Beach Haven, NJ 1,061 $110,815 4.5%
76 Far Hills, NJ 1,047 $145,139 9.4%
77 Sea Bright, NJ 1,629 $109,402 5.1%
78 Whittingham, NJ 2,423 $71,996 2.4%
79 Oaklyn, NJ 3,937 $81,012 3.2%
80 Moonachie, NJ 3,093 $90,263 3.5%
81 Lebanon, NJ 1,864 $106,389 2.8%
82 Middlebush, NJ 2,302 $122,778 7.2%
83 Farmingdale, NJ 1,326 $93,523 11.1%
84 Lake Como, NJ 1,710 $82,500 7.5%
85 Barnegat, NJ 3,284 $98,621 4.8%
86 Mcguire Afb, NJ 4,886 $82,480 5.3%
87 Pemberton Heights, NJ 2,776 $73,798 0.0%
88 Roosevelt, NJ 1,037 $101,339 3.6%
89 Cliffwood Beach, NJ 3,008 $111,786 5.1%
90 Netcong, NJ 3,484 $83,125 2.1%
91 Kenvil, NJ 1,636 $77,461 1.1%
92 Frenc, NJ 1,639 $99,018 3.7%
93 Panther Valley, NJ 4,562 $124,035 8.3%
94 Princeton Junction, NJ 2,022 $209,554 7.8%
95 Newfield, NJ 1,830 $103,438 1.8%
96 Swedesboro, NJ 2,706 $92,218 3.8%
97 Estell Manor, NJ 1,729 $114,091 3.7%
98 Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 4,786 $119,647 8.5%
99 Erma, NJ 1,844 $92,226 11.6%
100 Sewaren, NJ 2,695 $107,887 5.6%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Small Towns