Pennington makes New Jersey’s top 10 on 2 lists
Pennington is ranked on 37 lists against the 468 New Jersey towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 12.
More year-round than 98% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Pennington’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Pennington does best on
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Pennington marked.
Pennington lands in the top half on 18 of 24 lists
Each dot is Pennington’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Pennington does best come first.
Where Pennington 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 · 100 / 100
#30
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor · 17%
#10
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor · 5%
#25
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#21
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#10
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#188
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#293 People
Most educated#1 Millburn · 90%
#38
Youngest#1 Lakewood · 18.1
#397
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#73
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#80
Most kids#1 Lakewood · 49.8%
#168 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Princeton · 22.4 per resident
#132
Most library borrowing#1 Ocean City · 31.3 per resident
#62
Best libraries for kids#1 Ocean City · 44.2 per child
#50 Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
#79 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover · 13.2 min
#135 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach · 81.3%
#460
Most new homes#1 Long Beach · 41.2 per 1,000
#156
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#367
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union · 49.9 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Salem · 0.8 yrs
#372
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway · $749/mo
#284
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#465
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
The number on the right is Pennington’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.