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Summit vs Springfield Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: home values (+56% in Summit) and jobs per worker (2× in Summit).

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Summit, NJA colonial town, settled 1710New Jersey · 22,705 people
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Springfield Township, NJKnown for its schoolsUnion County · 17,171 people
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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.

SummitA colonial town, settled 1710
HistorySettled in 17105 places on the National Register Famous people78 notable peopleborn in Summit Housing$1.41M typical home143% above the NJ typical home All about Summit →
Springfield TownshipKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 76%of NJ districts HealthHealthier than 97%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Housing$708K typical home22% above the NJ typical home All about Springfield Township →
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.

Home values+56%
Homes cost more in Summit
Summit $994,500Springfield Township $636,600
Jobs per worker2×
Summit is more of a job hub
Summit 2.19Springfield Township 1.08
Average commute6 min
Springfield Township has the shorter commute
Summit 34 minSpringfield Township 28 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $3,940 more a month in Summit

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.

Summit$8,580/mo
Typical home $1.41M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.01%+ · or rent about $2,430/mo · Housing →
Springfield Township$4,640/mo
Typical home $708K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.57%+ · or rent about $2,188/mo · Housing →

The difference: $3,940 a month, about $47,300 a year, between Summit and Springfield Township.

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

Summit places higher on 13 of 26 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.

Safety
A−SummitSafer than 78% of U.S. towns –Springfield TownshipNot graded
Schools
ASummitBetter than 94% of districts in the state A−Springfield TownshipBetter than 76% of districts in the state
Health
A+SummitHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+Springfield TownshipHealthier than 97% of U.S. towns
13Summit
9Springfield Township

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 458 towns #11#456 Shortest commuteGetting around · 469 towns #352#149 Most new homesHousing · 468 towns #282#90 Most library borrowingLibraries · 236 towns #17#104 Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 216 towns #17#79 Most affordableCost of living · 469 towns #453#360 SafestSafety · 324 towns #117#170 Fastest growingGrowth · 469 towns #144#68

Left end = #1 in New Jersey. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Summit’s rankings →

Where they are

Summit and Springfield Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

SummitSpringfield TownshipSummitSpringfield Township
Summit ↔ Springfield Township2.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
298 Springfield Township residents work in Summit (3.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Springfield Township →
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
SummitSpringfield Township
Snow a year24″24″
January low22°F22°F
July high86°F86°F
Growing season (days)189d189d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)45th67th
Outdoors & history
SummitSpringfield Township
Trails7 mi7 mi
Conserved land11.8%15.7%
Settled17101794
National Register places54
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here7812
Community
SummitSpringfield Township
Library hours a week64 hrs56 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

SummitSpringfield Township
People
Population 22,705Highest 17,171Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.9%Lowest NJ: +5.7% +8.6%Highest NJ: +5.7%
Median age 41.8±2.2Lowest 4% above NJ 44.1±1.9Highest 10% above NJ
Springfield Township and Summit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.6%±2.3Highest NJ: 21.8% 20.1%±3Lowest NJ: 21.8%
Summit and Springfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.6%±1.8Lowest NJ: 17.2% 18.2%±2.6Highest NJ: 17.2%
Springfield Township and Summit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 72.5%Highest NJ: 43.6% 65.8%Lowest NJ: 43.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±1.5Highest NJ: 6.4% 4.4%±1.8Lowest NJ: 6.4%
Summit and Springfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $190,304±$35kHighest 84% above NJ $155,906±$25kLowest 51% above NJ
Summit and Springfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $994,500±$81kHighest 119% above NJ $636,600±$20kLowest 40% above NJ
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,430±$210Highest 41% above NJ $2,188±$153Lowest 27% above NJ
Summit and Springfield 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 45%±9Highest NJ: 51.6% 40.2%±10.6Lowest NJ: 51.6%
Summit and Springfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.5%Lowest NJ: 9.7% 5.7%Highest NJ: 9.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.3%Highest NJ: 63.8% 66.8%Lowest NJ: 63.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 17 yrs older than NJ 1962Highest 8 yrs older than NJ
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 10% above NJ 28 minLowest 8% below NJ
Work from home 23.8%±2.7Lowest NJ: 16.8% 24.2%±5.9Highest NJ: 16.8%
Springfield Township and Summit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.6%Highest 5.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miHighest 10.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.19Highest 1.08Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town New York (17%)New York (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Springfield Township3% work in Summit
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.8%Lowest 15.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.3 miHighest 6.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 1.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 10Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 97.0Highest 72.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 458 in NJ#456 of 458 in NJ
School district Summit Public School DistrictSpringfield Public School District
High school in town Summit High SchoolJonathan Dayton High School
Students per teacherat that high school 11.3Lowest 13.8Highest
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.

Summit neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Summit’s Town Square.

Springfield Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Springfield Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Summit and Springfield Township

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Bordering Summit

+ Compare
Chatham9,407 people · $985K homes
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Mountainside7,049 people · $810K homes
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Millburn Township22,145 people · $1.37M homes
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Short Hills14,923 people · $1.67M homes

Towns like Summit

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Tenafly15,319 people · $1M homes
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Florham Park13,564 people · $791K homes
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Madison16,447 people · $943K homes
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South Orange Village Township18,474 people · $867K homes
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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