Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in New Jersey with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in New Jersey that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in New Jersey at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Ten Mile Run.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In New Jersey For 2025
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more New Jersey reading:
- Best Counties To Live In New Jersey
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New Jersey
- Best Places To Retire In New Jersey
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In New Jersey For 2025
/10
Population: 2,288
Median Home Price: $652,400
Population Change: 2.1%
Home Price Change: -0.2%
More on Ten Mile Run: Data
/10
Population: 2,004
Median Home Price: $258,400
Population Change: 4.5%
Home Price Change: 8.3%
More on Sussex: Data
/10
Population: 2,025
Median Home Price: $254,600
Population Change: 1.0%
Home Price Change: 9.5%
More on Laurel Springs: Data
/10
Population: 2,118
Median Home Price: $318,400
Population Change: 3.4%
Home Price Change: 4.8%
More on Holiday Heights: Data
/10
Population: 2,359
Median Home Price: $399,500
Population Change: 7.4%
Home Price Change: 0.0%
More on Manahawkin: Data
/10
Population: 2,111
Median Home Price: $547,200
Population Change: -1.5%
Home Price Change: 0.6%
More on Weston: Data
/10
Population: 2,075
Median Home Price: $479,000
Population Change: -2.5%
Home Price Change: 14.3%
More on Englis: Data
/10
Population: 2,018
Median Home Price: $349,300
Population Change: 2.5%
Home Price Change: 3.7%
More on Byram Center: Data
/10
Population: 2,039
Median Home Price: $378,000
Population Change: 10.6%
Home Price Change: 21.5%
More on Erma: Data
/10
Population: 2,320
Median Home Price: $976,300
Population Change: 1.3%
Home Price Change: 3.3%
More on Essex Fells: Data
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in New Jersey for 2025?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 10. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in New Jersey. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in New Jersey with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2019-2023 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for New Jersey with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in New Jersey, only 394 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 394 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Ten Mile Run is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Garden State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In New Jersey for 2025
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in New Jersey. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in New Jersey are Ten Mile Run, Sussex, Laurel Springs, Holiday Heights, Manahawkin, Weston, Englis, Byram Center, Erma, and Essex Fells.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In New Jersey
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ten Mile Run | 2,288 | $652,400 | 2.1% | -0.2% |
| 2 | Sussex | 2,004 | $258,400 | 4.5% | 8.3% |
| 3 | Laurel Springs | 2,025 | $254,600 | 1.0% | 9.5% |
| 4 | Holiday Heights | 2,118 | $318,400 | 3.4% | 4.8% |
| 5 | Manahawkin | 2,359 | $399,500 | 7.4% | 0.0% |
| 6 | Weston | 2,111 | $547,200 | -1.5% | 0.6% |
| 7 | Englis | 2,075 | $479,000 | -2.5% | 14.3% |
| 8 | Byram Center | 2,018 | $349,300 | 2.5% | 3.7% |
| 9 | Erma | 2,039 | $378,000 | 10.6% | 21.5% |
| 10 | Essex Fells | 2,320 | $976,300 | 1.3% | 3.3% |
| 11 | Belford | 2,039 | $491,100 | 5.4% | 5.1% |
| 12 | Sea Isle City | 2,079 | $1,019,500 | 1.6% | 12.9% |
| 13 | Alpha | 2,249 | $250,400 | 1.2% | 6.0% |
| 14 | Ogdensburg | 2,231 | $311,900 | 0.7% | 12.6% |
| 15 | North Beach Haven | 2,282 | $1,070,900 | 1.4% | 11.5% |
| 16 | Cranbury | 2,304 | $794,500 | -5.2% | 6.1% |
| 17 | Helmetta | 2,317 | $321,400 | 0.7% | 6.1% |
| 18 | Gibbsboro | 2,337 | $278,200 | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| 19 | Wenonah | 2,248 | $341,300 | 1.6% | 6.4% |
| 20 | Leonardo | 2,342 | $432,200 | 0.3% | 10.5% |
| 21 | Long Valley | 2,107 | $452,400 | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| 22 | Woodbine | 2,083 | $199,800 | -8.0% | 5.0% |
| 23 | Pine Beach | 2,378 | $438,300 | -1.0% | 18.8% |
| 24 | Brownville | 2,267 | $368,100 | 3.8% | 14.2% |
| 25 | Beverly | 2,489 | $190,100 | -0.5% | 4.9% |
| 26 | Vista Center | 2,235 | $576,600 | -9.0% | 7.1% |
| 27 | Whittingham | 2,516 | $386,600 | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| 28 | Concordia | 2,724 | $298,500 | 0.5% | 8.9% |
| 29 | Pennington | 2,798 | $608,200 | 0.6% | 8.0% |
| 30 | West Belmar | 2,682 | $490,000 | 17.7% | 3.6% |
| 31 | Belvidere | 2,526 | $269,200 | -0.2% | 4.6% |
| 32 | Leisure Knoll | 2,725 | $265,600 | 3.9% | 9.2% |
| 33 | Peapack And Gladstone | 2,547 | $843,400 | -0.5% | 2.0% |
| 34 | Swedesboro | 2,720 | $247,500 | 0.5% | 8.4% |
| 35 | Whitesboro | 2,946 | $242,100 | 18.0% | 13.7% |
| 36 | Pine Ridge At Crestwood | 2,756 | $133,800 | 3.1% | 15.0% |
| 37 | East Newark | 2,529 | $277,700 | -7.0% | -11.7% |
| 38 | Pemberton Heights | 2,643 | $232,800 | -4.8% | 3.1% |
| 39 | North Middletown | 3,081 | $311,500 | -2.4% | 5.2% |
| 40 | Laurel Lake | 2,514 | $138,100 | 7.2% | 5.0% |
| 41 | Riverton | 2,771 | $354,900 | 0.3% | 3.1% |
| 42 | Clinton | 2,784 | $407,800 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 43 | Rossmoor | 3,136 | $184,800 | 13.1% | 20.7% |
| 44 | Lakehurst | 2,666 | $225,800 | 0.5% | 13.9% |
| 45 | Sewaren | 3,196 | $414,900 | 18.6% | 15.2% |
| 46 | Moonachie | 3,106 | $450,800 | 0.4% | 8.3% |
| 47 | Plainsboro Center | 2,683 | $474,300 | -3.0% | 2.8% |
| 48 | Middlebush | 2,017 | $475,500 | -12.4% | 3.1% |
| 49 | Rio Grande | 3,285 | $311,900 | -2.3% | -4.4% |
| 50 | Lawnside | 3,124 | $215,100 | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| 51 | Woodlynne | 2,899 | $129,900 | -0.2% | 17.0% |
| 52 | Spring Lake | 2,782 | $2,000,001 | -0.2% | 0.0% |
| 53 | Groveville | 3,007 | $347,900 | -9.8% | 2.4% |
| 54 | National Park | 3,043 | $207,400 | 0.5% | 14.6% |
| 55 | Woodbury Heights | 3,116 | $260,000 | 0.8% | 11.7% |
| 56 | Shark River Hills | 3,035 | $482,800 | 0.8% | 8.4% |
| 57 | Cliffwood Beach | 3,044 | $340,600 | 1.2% | 12.4% |
| 58 | Wildwood Crest | 3,094 | $526,600 | -0.3% | 3.1% |
| 59 | Hamburg | 3,293 | $258,200 | 0.6% | 6.7% |
| 60 | Ocean Grove | 2,916 | $764,200 | -6.8% | -1.0% |
| 61 | Netcong | 3,543 | $344,300 | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| 62 | Saddle River | 3,358 | $2,000,001 | -0.1% | 0.0% |
| 63 | Monmouth Beach | 3,201 | $918,100 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 64 | Leisuretowne | 3,244 | $220,800 | 1.0% | 10.8% |
| 65 | Stanhope | 3,551 | $326,000 | 0.5% | 13.2% |
| 66 | Turnersville | 3,071 | $352,600 | 2.7% | 11.4% |
| 67 | Tuckerton | 3,616 | $297,200 | 0.9% | 10.6% |
| 68 | Haworth | 3,321 | $815,300 | -0.6% | 4.9% |
| 69 | Six Mile Run | 3,185 | $495,200 | -9.9% | -5.8% |
| 70 | Wood | 3,690 | $231,700 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| 71 | Cape May | 2,789 | $823,800 | -0.9% | 7.4% |
| 72 | High Bridge | 3,584 | $298,600 | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| 73 | Oakhurst | 3,811 | $644,400 | -2.6% | 10.0% |
| 74 | Gibbstown | 3,494 | $228,800 | 0.7% | 3.6% |
| 75 | Lawrenceville | 3,947 | $413,600 | 5.0% | 13.2% |
| 76 | Mullica Hill | 4,561 | $427,500 | 2.4% | 10.2% |
| 77 | Barnegat | 3,367 | $398,900 | 2.5% | 18.1% |
| 78 | Port Monmouth | 3,285 | $423,600 | 3.5% | 4.8% |
| 79 | South Toms River | 3,701 | $269,200 | 1.1% | 8.2% |
| 80 | Merchantville | 3,815 | $316,300 | 0.4% | 11.1% |
| 81 | Fairview | 3,950 | $595,000 | -6.7% | 9.3% |
| 82 | Leisure Village East | 4,309 | $211,600 | -7.4% | 0.2% |
| 83 | North Cape May | 3,577 | $323,900 | -6.7% | 14.6% |
| 84 | Leisure Village West | 4,070 | $203,700 | 6.6% | 11.4% |
| 85 | North Wildwood | 3,620 | $446,400 | -0.5% | 1.9% |
| 86 | Bordentown | 4,006 | $322,300 | 0.4% | 14.4% |
| 87 | Lambertville | 4,141 | $534,100 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 88 | White House Station | 3,758 | $426,200 | -0.8% | 2.5% |
| 89 | Panther Valley | 4,622 | $359,800 | 1.3% | 4.9% |
| 90 | Oaklyn | 3,934 | $245,000 | -0.1% | 7.0% |
| 91 | Medford Lakes | 4,267 | $368,200 | 0.1% | 2.3% |
| 92 | Richwood | 3,453 | $566,000 | -5.6% | -3.6% |
| 93 | Silver Lake Cdp (Essex County) | 4,034 | $483,700 | -8.5% | 9.5% |
| 94 | Port Reading | 3,775 | $414,900 | -6.6% | 4.3% |
| 95 | Holiday City South | 4,294 | $244,300 | -2.7% | 4.1% |
| 96 | Oak Valley | 4,374 | $226,000 | 0.6% | 8.7% |
| 97 | Barclay | 4,456 | $438,400 | -1.1% | 5.7% |
| 98 | Singac | 3,987 | $416,200 | -6.3% | 15.7% |
| 99 | Egg Harbor City | 4,378 | $182,100 | 0.0% | 6.6% |
| 100 | Shrewsbury | 4,162 | $735,900 | 0.6% | 5.3% |