Scotch Plains, NJ: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,968, an increase of 1,458 (+6.2%) from the 2010 census count of 23,510, which in turn reflected an increase of 778 (+3.4%) from the 22,732 counted in the 2000 census.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Scotch Plains ranks

All →

#43Most active in NJ #43Best schools in NJ #54Healthiest in NJ All NJ rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code07076

Area code908

Living in Scotch Plains

Housing in Scotch Plains

$846K▲ 5.7% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Scotch Plains home is worth about $846,000, up 5.7% in a year, 46% above the New Jersey typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Scotch Plains

A

Safety Grade A

Scotch Plains reports less crime per resident than 86% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000

Scotch Plains 0.3

New Jersey 2

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Scotch Plains 4.4

New Jersey 12.7

U.S. 15.5

Natural hazards: HighMostly inland flooding · higher than 79% of U.S. communitiesDetails →

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Scotch Plains

A⁺

Health Grade A+

Healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates.

Compared with New Jersey

19better than NJ

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 13 are too close to call.

Conditions 7▲ 5 close Habits 2▲ 2 close Care 3▲ 4 close Mind 3▲ 2 close Everyday needs 4▲ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

7.6%Fewer adults facing food insecurityNJ 14.3% · better 6.6%Fewer uninsured adultsNJ 11.3% · better

Care nearby

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at RahwayRahway · 4.5 mi · ER

Jewish Renaissance Foundation Community Health CenterEdison · 4.2 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careNo shortage

DentalNo shortage

Mental healthNo shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · ZIP code 07076 · CMS · HRSAHealth in Scotch Plains →

Schools in Scotch Plains

All Scotch Plains schools →

A⁻

School Grade A-

The public schools Scotch Plains’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 75% of New Jersey’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

#43Best public schoolsof 457 in NJ

DistrictScotch Plains-Fanwood School DistrictSchools22

William J. McGinn Elementary School A-Elementary · Grades K–4 · 543 students J. Ackerman Coles Elementary School AElementary · Grades PK–4 · 526 students Evergreen Elementary School B+Elementary · Grades PK–4 · 449 students Howard B. Brunner Elementary School BElementary · Grades PK–4 · 434 students School One Elementary A-Elementary · Grades PK–4 · 424 students JCC of Central New JerseyElementary · Grades PK–K · 263 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within NJ. Ratings are from neighbors.