Matawan is #1 in New Jersey for affordable rent
Matawan is ranked on 36 lists against the 469 New Jersey towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Matawan marked.
Younger than 95% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Matawan’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Matawan lands in the top half on 10 of 22 lists
Each dot is Matawan’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Matawan does best come first.
Matawan out-ranks 1 of its 3 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Matawan lands in every NJ ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Millburn Township · 100 / 100
#243
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor Township · 17%
#349
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor Township · 5%
#231
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#175
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#239
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#60 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Salem · 0.8 yrs
#254
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway Township · $749/mo
#252
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#382
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
#1 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montague Township · 68.2%
#266
Most trails#1 Cedar Grove Township · 6.4 mi / sq mi
#267
Most walkable#1 Union City · 295 / sq mi
#177 People
Most educated#1 Millburn Township · 90%
#247
Youngest#1 Lakewood Township · 18.1
#28
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#445
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#383
Most kids#1 Lakewood Township · 49.8%
#199 Schools
Best schools#1 Millburn Township · +38.6 pts
#223
Highest graduation rate#1 Livingston Township · 99%
#278 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover Township · 13.2 min
#318 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach Township · 81.3%
#344
Most new homes#1 Long Beach Township · 41.2 per 1,000
#424
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#168
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union Township · 49.9 per home
#75 Climate
Snowiest#1 Pohatcong Township · 41 in
#87
Least snow#1 Berkeley Township · 10 in
#342
Mildest winters#1 Cape May · 28.1°
#143
Hottest summers#1 Pennsauken Township · 87.7°
#168
Coolest summers#1 Vernon Township · 80.7°
#216
Longest growing season#1 Pleasantville · 243 days
#260
Wettest#1 Mount Olive Township · 52 in
#179 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Princeton · 22.4 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Ocean City · 31.3 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Ocean City · 44.2 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
The number on the right is Matawan’s spot. All of New Jersey’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NJ list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.