Best Cities for Families in New Jersey

Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  New Jersey

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Schools · 25% Safety · 20% Home Affordability · 15% Low Poverty · 10% Jobs · 10% Short Commute · 10% Education · 10%

Top 12 Families Cities in New Jersey

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 87.3
Clinton, NJ
2,784 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $407,800
#2
Score 87.3
Lambertville, NJ
4,141 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 24/100K
Home Affordability $534,100
#3
Score 86.5
Mendham, NJ
4,977 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 20/100K
Home Affordability $764,000
#4
Score 86.3
Bernardsville, NJ
7,871 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 37/100K
Home Affordability $737,600
#5
Score 86.2
Morris Plains, NJ
6,214 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 59/100K
Home Affordability $609,700
#6
Score 86.1
Mountain Lakes, NJ
4,535 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $915,100
#7
Score 85.7
Chester, NJ
1,359 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $640,400
#8
Score 85
Somerville, NJ
12,958 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 79/100K
Home Affordability $403,600
#9
Score 85
Boonton, NJ
8,803 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 33/100K
Home Affordability $475,300
#10
Score 84.6
Peapack and Gladstone, NJ
2,547 residents
Schools 7.3
Safety 84/100K
Home Affordability $843,400
#11
Score 84.2
Mount Arlington, NJ
5,901 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $393,400
#12
Score 84.2
High Bridge, NJ
3,584 residents
Schools 7.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $298,600

Full Ranking, New Jersey

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Clinton NJ 87.3
2 Lambertville NJ 87.3
3 Mendham NJ 86.5
4 Bernardsville NJ 86.3
5 Morris Plains NJ 86.2
6 Mountain Lakes NJ 86.1
7 Chester NJ 85.7
8 Somerville NJ 85
9 Boonton NJ 85
10 Peapack and Gladstone NJ 84.6
11 Mount Arlington NJ 84.2
12 High Bridge NJ 84.2
13 Rockaway NJ 83.6
14 Netcong NJ 83.4
15 Raritan NJ 83.2
16 Hawthorne NJ 83.2
17 Fair Lawn NJ 83.1
18 River Edge NJ 83.1
19 Riverdale NJ 83.1
20 Westwood NJ 83
21 Butler NJ 83
22 Stanhope NJ 82.8
23 Hopatcong NJ 82.8
24 Kinnelon NJ 82.7
25 Flemington NJ 82.7
26 Hackettstown NJ 82.4
27 Emerson NJ 82.3
28 Midland Park NJ 82.2
29 Ridgewood NJ 82
30 Oradell NJ 82
31 Morristown NJ 81.7
32 Ho-Ho-Kus NJ 81.4
33 Glen Rock NJ 81.2
34 Wood-Ridge NJ 81.2
35 New Milford NJ 81.1
36 Washington NJ 81
37 Manville NJ 80.6
38 North Haledon NJ 80.3
39 Haledon NJ 80.2
40 Bound Brook NJ 79.9
41 Spring Lake Heights NJ 79.8
42 Wharton NJ 79.8
43 Hasbrouck Heights NJ 79.6
44 Maywood NJ 79.6
45 Paramus NJ 79.4
46 Bogota NJ 78.9
47 Shrewsbury NJ 78.9
48 Point Pleasant NJ 78.9
49 Highland Park NJ 78.9
50 Little Silver NJ 78.8

Clinton, NJ tops the list with a composite score of 87.3 out of 100, followed by Lambertville and Mendham. NJ dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for families.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Schools, Safety, Home Affordability, Low Poverty, Jobs, Short Commute, Education. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to families, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Safest Cities → Most Affordable → Most Educated →