What’s the best part of Jersey City? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Jersey City are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Jersey City neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to New Jersey and Jersey City is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$172,200 median income · $793,950 median home value
$133,134 median income · $772,881 median home value
$182,926 median income · $601,300 median home value
$71,342 median income · $454,812 median home value
$65,850 median income · $425,200 median home value
$77,231 median income · $349,550 median home value
Located in
Hudson County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$64,553 median income · $408,459 median home value
$66,774 median income · $389,629 median home value
$67,422 median income · $326,669 median home value
$46,054 median income · $366,400 median home value
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Jersey’s statewide median.
New Jersey statewide median: $103,556
New Jersey statewide median: $569,411
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Jersey City, NJ neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Jersey City, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 11 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Jersey City.” We’re lookin’ at you, The Waterfront.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Jersey City, New Jersey has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Jersey City.
The full plate
Table: Best Jersey City neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Waterfront | 14,428 | $793,950 | $172,200 |
| 2 | Downtown | 38,783 | $772,881 | $133,134 |
| 3 | Liberty Park | 618 | $601,300 | $182,926 |
| 4 | The Heights | 50,701 | $454,812 | $71,342 |
| 5 | McGinley Square | 20,749 | $425,200 | $65,850 |
| 6 | Lincoln Park | 1,019 | $349,550 | $77,231 |
| 7 | Journal Square | 26,826 | $408,459 | $64,553 |
| 8 | Hackensack Riverfront | 3,876 | $389,629 | $66,774 |
| 9 | West Side | 23,620 | $326,669 | $67,422 |
| 10 | Bergen-Lafayette | 22,642 | $366,400 | $46,054 |
| 11 | Greenville | 48,963 | $337,270 | $63,375 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 11 Jersey City neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Jersey City
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Jersey City where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Jersey City are The Waterfront, Downtown, Liberty Park, The Heights, McGinley Square, Lincoln Park, Journal Square, Hackensack Riverfront, West Side, and Bergen-Lafayette.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Jersey City aren’t all good. Greenville takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Jersey City.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on New Jersey? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Jersey City FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Jersey City?
The Waterfront is the best neighborhood in Jersey City for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Downtown and Liberty Park are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Jersey City?
The best neighborhoods in Jersey City are The Waterfront, Downtown, Liberty Park, The Heights, McGinley Square, Lincoln Park, Journal Square, Hackensack Riverfront, West Side, and Bergen-Lafayette. We ranked all 11 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is The Waterfront?
The median household income in The Waterfront is $172,200 and the median home costs $793,950. The best blocks in Jersey City rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Jersey City neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, The Waterfront, takes the top spot.
Which Jersey City neighborhood ranked last?
Greenville came in last of the 11 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Jersey City the numbers put it there.
