WYLT Neighborhood Rankings · 2026

Best Neighborhoods
in New Jersey

Ranked by safety, schools, walkability, and value. Every verdict is based on real data — no sponsored rankings, no fluff.

25 neighborhoods reviewed
8 "Settle here" picks
5 "Good for now" picks

#1 Pick in New Jersey

Matawan, Matawan is the top-rated neighborhood in New Jersey — our highest verdict.

Top 25 Neighborhoods in New Jersey

#1

Matawan

Settle here

Matawan, NJ

Price

$438K

Walk

16/100

Schools

8.8/10

View report →
#2

Jersey City

Settle here

Jersey City, NJ

Price

$863K

Walk

82/100

Schools

7.2/10

View report →
#3

South Orange

Settle here

South Orange, NJ

Price

$769K

Schools

8.8/10

View report →
#4

Marlboro

Settle here

Marlboro, NJ

Price

$609K

Schools

7.8/10

View report →
#5

Weehawken

Settle here

Weehawken, NJ

Price

$771K

Walk

42/100

Schools

5.9/10

View report →
#6

Maplewood

Settle here

Maplewood, NJ

Price

$638K

Walk

13/100

Schools

8.2/10

View report →
#7

Holmdel

Settle here

Holmdel, NJ

Price

$801K

Walk

7/100

Schools

5/10

View report →
#8

Montclair

Settle here

Montclair, NJ

Price

$674K

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#9

Middletown

Good for now

Middletown, NJ

Price

$523K

Walk

46/100

Schools

6.3/10

View report →
#10

Edison

Good for now

Edison, NJ

Price

$379K

Walk

34/100

Schools

7.1/10

View report →
#11

Bayonne

Good for now

Bayonne, NJ

Price

$413K

Walk

33/100

Schools

6.9/10

View report →
#12

Clifton

Good for now

Clifton, NJ

Price

$383K

Walk

29/100

Schools

6.8/10

View report →
#13

Hoboken

Think twice

Hoboken, NJ

Price

$859K

Walk

83/100

Schools

6.7/10

View report →
#14

Hamilton

Good for now

Hamilton, NJ

Price

$230K

Walk

13/100

Schools

6.8/10

View report →
#15

Manalapan

Think twice

Manalapan, NJ

Price

$568K

Schools

8.3/10

View report →
#16

Princeton

Think twice

Princeton, NJ

Price

$686K

Walk

78/100

View report →
#17

Lincroft

Think twice

Lincroft, NJ

Price

$674K

Walk

15/100

Schools

6.7/10

View report →
#18

Freehold

Think twice

Freehold, NJ

Price

$454K

Walk

19/100

Schools

7.2/10

View report →
#19

Union City

Think twice

Union City, NJ

Price

$448K

Walk

51/100

Schools

6.6/10

View report →
#20

Jackson

Think twice

Jackson, NJ

Price

$441K

Schools

8.3/10

View report →
#21

Englishtown

Think twice

Englishtown, NJ

Price

$568K

Schools

8.3/10

View report →
#22

Trenton

Think twice

Trenton, NJ

Price

$180K

Walk

93/100

Schools

6.9/10

View report →
#23

Woodbridge

Think twice

Woodbridge, NJ

Price

$344K

Walk

32/100

Schools

7.2/10

View report →
#24

Brick

Think twice

Brick, NJ

Price

$359K

Walk

18/100

Schools

7.5/10

View report →
#25

Old Bridge

Think twice

Old Bridge, NJ

Price

$439K

Walk

21/100

Schools

7.2/10

View report →

How we rank neighborhoods in New Jersey

Every neighborhood on this list was evaluated using real data across four dimensions: safety (violent and property crime risk), schools (rating out of 10), walkability (Walk Score out of 100), and home prices relative to the New Jersey average. Our scoring model weighs each factor equally and assigns one of four plain-English verdicts — from "Settle here" (our highest rating) to "Hard pass" — so you know exactly where each place stands without having to decode letter grades.

Rankings are updated as new reports are generated. All data is sourced from public records, national databases, and our AI-assisted analysis. Click any neighborhood to read its full report.

← Browse all states