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Bridgewater Township vs Wayne Township

31 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (+61% in Wayne Township) and work from home (+5.7 pts in Bridgewater Township).

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Bridgewater Township, NJA regional job hubSomerset County · 46,268 people
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Wayne Township, NJKnown for its schoolsPassaic County · 53,756 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bridgewater Township$4,960/mo
Typical home $749K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.65%+ · or rent about $2,176/mo · Housing →
Wayne Township$4,940/mo
Typical home $748K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.63%+ · or rent about $2,164/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Bridgewater Township places higher on 10 of 22 NJ lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every New Jersey ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Bridgewater TownshipWayne Township
Snow a year21″24″
January low—22°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—189d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th59th
Outdoors & history
Bridgewater TownshipWayne Township
Conserved land14.8%14.8%
Settled1749—
National Register places34
Archive photos1820
Famous people born here1726
Community
Bridgewater TownshipWayne Township
Library hours a week58 hrs67 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

31 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bridgewater Township ↔ Wayne Township31 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Bridgewater TownshipWayne Township
People
Population 46,268Lowest 53,756Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.4%Highest NJ: +5.7% +0.2%Lowest NJ: +5.7%
Median age 41.9±1Highest 4% above NJ 41±0.9Lowest about the NJ average
Bridgewater Township and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.7%±1.5Highest NJ: 21.8% 22%±1.6Lowest NJ: 21.8%
Bridgewater Township and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.2%±1.3Lowest NJ: 17.2% 19.5%±1.3Highest NJ: 17.2%
Wayne Township and Bridgewater Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 61.8%Highest NJ: 43.6% 56.8%Lowest NJ: 43.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±0.8Lowest NJ: 6.4% 8.5%±1Highest NJ: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $172,851±$10kHighest 67% above NJ $153,056±$8kLowest 48% above NJ
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $605,500±$15kLowest 33% above NJ $612,700±$13kHighest 35% above NJ
Wayne Township and Bridgewater Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,176±$127Highest 27% above NJ $2,164±$86Lowest 26% above NJ
Bridgewater Township and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ $10,000+ at least 4% above NJ
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.3%±9.8Highest NJ: 51.6% 47.9%±5Lowest NJ: 51.6%
Bridgewater Township and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.1%Highest NJ: 9.7% 3.4%Lowest NJ: 9.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.9%Highest NJ: 63.8% 78.6%Lowest NJ: 63.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 11 yrs newer than NJ 1967Lowest 3 yrs older than NJ
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest about the NJ average 29 minLowest 6% below NJ
Work from home 26.4%±2.3Highest NJ: 16.8% 20.7%±2.1Lowest NJ: 16.8%
Work in townworking residents 10.7%Lowest 11%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.54Highest 1.15Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town New York (6%)New York (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Wayne TownshipFew work in Bridgewater Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 14.8% 14.8%
Trailsmapped miles 39.6 miHighest 37.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 44Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 37.9Lowest 61.0Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #98 of 458 in NJ#90 of 458 in NJ
School district Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District · Somerset County Vocational and Technical School DistrictPassaic County Technical-Vocational School District · Wayne Township Public School District
High school in town Bridgewater-Raritan High SchoolPassaic County Technical Institute
Students per teacherat that high school 13.0Highest 11.1Lowest
New Jersey average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bridgewater Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bridgewater Township’s Town Square.

Wayne Township neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Wayne Township can answer.

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Bordering Bridgewater Township

Towns like Bridgewater Township

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks New Jersey towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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