The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey For 2022


We used science and data to determine which cities in New Jersey have the best set up for children: a lot to do, good schools, and no crime.

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If your family loves pizza and bagels, then you should definitely live in New Jersey. And today's your lucky day, because HomeSnacks is giving your family the ultimate life hack, we've created a list of the best places for families in New Jersey for 2022.

How did we determine New Jersey's most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in The Garden State with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 95 family friendly New Jersey places that any family would be lucky to call home. Matter of fact, if you ask any New Jerseyite, they will tell you that New Jersey is the best and that their corner of this Mid-Atlantic State is above the rest. They will also tell you that the state is great for families because they are one of the wealthiest states in the country. New Jersey not only has one of the highest median household incomes, but they have plenty of extra money to spend on the things that matter. Like, making their neighborhoods safe, their schools competitive, and their families happy, healthy, and entertained.

Speaking of family entertainment, when New Jersey families are ready for some fun in the sun, there is plenty of family friendly fun to be had. We think the best family day in New Jersey would go something like this: first, a trip to the freshest bagel shop in Jersey City; then, a ferry ride across the Newark Bay to shop 'til you drop in Elizabeth; followed up by a slice of 'za' in Linden's Little Italy.

Want to know more? We suggest that you grab yourself a sunny spot at the Jersey Shore and read on.

The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In New Jersey For 2022

  1. Glen Rock
  2. Madison
  3. River Edge
  4. Westwood
  5. New Providence
  6. Hillsdale
  7. Summit
  8. Haddonfield
  9. Tenafly
  10. Westfield

While New Jersey might be one of the smallest states in size, it's one of the largest in terms of population. The burning question: what is it about New Jersey that make over 9 million people--3 million families happy to call it home?

We'll tell you, point blank, it has a lot to offer. And this is especially evident in New Jersey's number one best place to raise a family for 2022, Glen Rock.

If you want to see how New Jersey's other amazing best places to raise a family faired, take a look at the list below. And if you don't see your favorite there, head to the bottom.

Check out some more reading about New Jersey and the best places for families in the country:

The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,747
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 50.5%
More on Glen Rock: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Glen Rock, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 16,647
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 35.4%
More on Madison: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Madison, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,510
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 33
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 40.3%
More on River Edge: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

River Edge, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,096
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 52
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 33.5%
More on Westwood: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Westwood, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,382
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 58
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 39.0%
More on New Providence: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

New Providence, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 10,317
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 48
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 37.2%
More on Hillsdale: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Hillsdale, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 21,913
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 42.9%
More on Summit: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Summit, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,342
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Philadelphia
Households with kids: 44.4%
More on Haddonfield: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Haddonfield, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 14,550
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 33
Closest Major City: Yonkers
Households with kids: 54.4%
More on Tenafly: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Tenafly, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 29,690
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Newark
Households with kids: 40.2%
More on Westfield: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Westfield, NJ

Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in New Jersey anyways?

To give you the places in New Jersey which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Garden State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of New Jersey, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Crime (Both violent and property)
  • Quality of local schools
  • Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
  • % of households with children
  • Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For New Jersey, that meant a total of 95 cities. You can download the data here.

Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in New Jersey ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the best cities for singles New Jersey according to the data:

  1. Somers Point
  2. Lindenwold
  3. Pine Hill

For more New Jersey reading, check out:

Where Are The Best Places For Families In New Jersey?

Rank City Population Amenities Score
1 Glen Rock, NJ 11,747 57
2 Madison, NJ 16,647 45
3 River Edge, NJ 11,510 45
4 Westwood, NJ 11,096 62
5 New Providence, NJ 13,382 52
6 Hillsdale, NJ 10,317 46
7 Summit, NJ 21,913 53
8 Haddonfield, NJ 11,342 54
9 Tenafly, NJ 14,550 35
10 Westfield, NJ 29,690 57

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best cities for families in New Jersey.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.