Riverside ranks #27 in New Jersey for affordability
Riverside is ranked on 33 lists against the 468 New Jersey towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Riverside does best on
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Riverside marked.
Riverside lands in the top half on 5 of 23 lists
Each dot is Riverside’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Riverside does best come first.
Less snow than 89% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Riverside’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for affordability
Lists where Riverside sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Riverside out-ranks 0 of its 2 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 Riverside 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
#27
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway · $749/mo
#122
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#66
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover · 13.2 min
#169 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montague · 68.2%
#273
Most trails#1 Cedar Grove · 6.4 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Union City · 295 / sq mi
#75 Health
Healthiest#1 Millburn · 100 / 100
#346
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor · 17%
#320
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor · 5%
#342
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#314
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#292
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#357
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#343 Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
#214 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach · 81.3%
#364
Most new homes#1 Long Beach · 41.2 per 1,000
#310
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#95
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union · 49.9 per home
People
Most educated#1 Millburn · 90%
#442
Youngest#1 Lakewood · 18.1
#120
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#353
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#391
Most kids#1 Lakewood · 49.8%
#276 
The number on the right is Riverside’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.