Monroe ranks #16 in New Jersey for affordable rent
Monroe is ranked on 39 lists against the 468 New Jersey towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Monroe does best on
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Monroe marked.
Monroe lands in the top half on 7 of 25 lists
Each dot is Monroe’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Monroe does best come first.
More homes per newcomer than 91% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Monroe’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Monroe out-ranks 3 of its 5 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 Monroe 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Salem · 0.8 yrs
#71
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway · $749/mo
#70
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#131
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
#16 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach · 81.3%
#262
Most new homes#1 Long Beach · 41.2 per 1,000
#108
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#66
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union · 49.9 per home
#222 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Princeton · 22.4 per resident
#48
Most library borrowing#1 Ocean City · 31.3 per resident
#188
Best libraries for kids#1 Ocean City · 44.2 per child
#169 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montague · 68.2%
#201
Most trails#1 Cedar Grove · 6.4 mi / sq mi
#255
Most walkable#1 Union City · 295 / sq mi
#353 Health
Healthiest#1 Millburn · 100 / 100
#344
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor · 17%
#349
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor · 5%
#342
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#314
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#238
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#404
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#443 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover · 13.2 min
#278 
People
Most educated#1 Millburn · 90%
#358
Youngest#1 Lakewood · 18.1
#199
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#268
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#279
Most kids#1 Lakewood · 49.8%
#243 Climate
Snowiest#1 Pohatcong · 41 in
#407
Least snow#1 Berkeley · 10 in
#45
Mildest winters#1 Cape May · 28.1°
#119
Hottest summers#1 Pennsauken · 87.7°
#100
Coolest summers#1 Vernon · 80.7°
#262
Longest growing season#1 Pleasantville · 243 days
#128
Wettest#1 Mount Olive · 52 in
#255 Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
The number on the right is Monroe’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.