Upper ranks #12 in New Jersey for conserved land
Upper 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.
More vacation homes than 97% of New Jersey
Not better or worse, just Upper’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Upper does best on
Each list ranks every NJ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Upper marked.
Upper lands in the top half on 8 of 20 lists
Each dot is Upper’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NJ, the right end is last. Areas where Upper does best come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for conserved land
Lists where Upper sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Upper out-ranks 2 of its 3 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.
Every NJ list, and where Upper lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 New Hanover · 13.2 min
#48 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Salem · 0.8 yrs
#189
Cheapest rent#1 Alloway · $749/mo
#264
Lowest property tax#1 Camden · $2,302/yr
#47
Rent easiest to afford#1 Matawan · 29.4%
Health
Healthiest#1 Millburn · 100 / 100
#326
Lowest obesity#1 West Windsor · 17%
#399
Fewest smokers#1 West Windsor · 5%
#342
Most active#1 Fair Haven · 13%
#213
Fewest uninsured#1 Spring Lake · 4%
#176
Lowest depression#1 Palisades Park · 11%
#404
Closest to a top hospital#1 Englewood · 0.0 mi
#423 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montague · 68.2%
#12
Most trails#1 Cedar Grove · 6.4 mi / sq mi
#307
Most walkable#1 Union City · 295 / sq mi
#417 People
Most educated#1 Millburn · 90%
#231
Youngest#1 Lakewood · 18.1
#322
Oldest#1 North Wildwood · 65.6
#145
Most residents 65+#1 North Wildwood · 51.5%
#37
Most kids#1 Lakewood · 49.8%
#197 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Long Beach · 81.3%
#15
Most new homes#1 Long Beach · 41.2 per 1,000
#278
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Margate City · +136.0%
#245
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Union · 49.9 per home
Climate
Snowiest#1 Pohatcong · 41 in
#334
Least snow#1 Berkeley · 10 in
#113
Mildest winters#1 Cape May · 28.1°
#83
Hottest summers#1 Pennsauken · 87.7°
#261
Coolest summers#1 Vernon · 80.7°
#110
Longest growing season#1 Pleasantville · 243 days
#356
Wettest#1 Mount Olive · 52 in
#315 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Princeton · 22.4 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Ocean City · 31.3 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Ocean City · 44.2 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Emerson · 1.5
The number on the right is Upper’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.