Rutherford ranks #3 in New Jersey for affordable rent
Rutherford is ranked on 36 lists against the 468 New Jersey towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 11.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Rutherford marked.
Rutherford out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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.
Fewer homes per newcomer than 97% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Rutherford’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Rutherford lands in the top half on 20 of 26 lists
Each dot is Rutherford’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Rutherford does best come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for kids’ library use
Lists where Rutherford sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Rutherford 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.
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Princeton · 22.4 per resident
#17
Most library borrowing#1 Ocean City · 31.3 per resident
#60
Best libraries for kids#1 Ocean City · 44.2 per child
#28 Health
Healthiest#1 Millburn · 100 / 100
#109
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor · 17%
#100
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor · 5%
#71
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#103
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#176
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#190 People
Most educated#1 Millburn · 90%
#119
Youngest#1 Lakewood · 18.1
#142
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#324
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#325
Most kids#1 Lakewood · 49.8%
#244 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Salem · 0.8 yrs
#344
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway · $749/mo
#308
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#319
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
#3 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach · 81.3%
#223
Most new homes#1 Long Beach · 41.2 per 1,000
#193
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#384
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union · 49.9 per home
#9 Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
#135 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montague · 68.2%
#404
Most trails#1 Cedar Grove · 6.4 mi / sq mi
#261
Most walkable#1 Union City · 295 / sq mi
#89 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover · 13.2 min
#362 
The number on the right is Rutherford’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.