There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in New Jersey that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Garden State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within New Jersey’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Mountainside, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of New Jersey according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Mountainside. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in New Jersey as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
48.0 median age · 32.0% married households · #12 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Mountainside is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 6,685, reflecting an increase of 83 from the 6,602 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 55 from the 6,657 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
48.1 median age · 28.0% married households · #10 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Somerset County, New Jersey
Watchung is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 5,801, reflecting an increase of 188 from the 5,613 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 503 from the 5,110 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.6 median age · 29.0% married households · #13 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Essex County, New Jersey
Roseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 5,819, reflecting an increase of 521 from the 5,298 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 451 from the 4,847 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.3 median age · 30.0% married households · #14 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Passaic County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.1 median age · 38.0% married households · #22 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Little Silver is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 5,950, a drop of 220 from the 6,170 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 449 from the 5,721 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.1 median age · 34.0% married households · #16 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Morris County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.3 median age · 25.0% married households · #20 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Bergen County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
51.3 median age · 37.0% married households · #2 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.6 median age · 36.0% married households · #46 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Essex County, New Jersey
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 6,183, reflecting a decline of 1,192 from the 7,375 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 669 from the 6,706 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
48.8 median age · 29.0% married households · #6 oldest in New Jersey
Located in
Bergen County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Jersey’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in New Jersey
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Garden State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in New Jersey. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every New Jersey city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in New Jersey.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In New Jersey For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountainside | 27.20 | 7,049 | 48.0 | 32.0% | 38.3% |
| 2 | Watchung | 28.90 | 6,485 | 48.1 | 28.0% | 34.7% |
| 3 | Roseland | 36.80 | 6,268 | 47.6 | 29.0% | 28.9% |
| 4 | North Haledon | 37.90 | 8,778 | 47.3 | 30.0% | 31.9% |
| 5 | Little Silver | 43.70 | 6,105 | 46.1 | 38.0% | 33.6% |
| 6 | Rockaway | 43.70 | 6,613 | 47.1 | 34.0% | 28.2% |
| 7 | Franklin Lakes | 44.90 | 11,084 | 46.3 | 25.0% | 41.2% |
| 8 | Oceanport | 47.50 | 6,195 | 51.3 | 37.0% | 30.3% |
| 9 | North Caldwell | 48.00 | 6,656 | 43.6 | 36.0% | 37.1% |
| 10 | Emerson | 48.40 | 7,305 | 48.8 | 29.0% | 32.7% |
| 11 | Union Beach | 50.90 | 5,707 | 42.0 | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 12 | Tinton Falls | 51.70 | 19,361 | 46.6 | 29.0% | 22.9% |
| 13 | Ringwood | 52.10 | 11,657 | 42.6 | 32.0% | 26.6% |
| 14 | Kinnelon | 52.90 | 10,013 | 42.8 | 33.0% | 32.7% |
| 15 | Bernardsville | 53.00 | 7,916 | 40.0 | 33.0% | 36.5% |
| 16 | Lincoln Park | 53.00 | 10,957 | 48.3 | 22.0% | 23.9% |
| 17 | Rumson | 53.40 | 7,241 | 44.4 | 27.0% | 38.4% |
| 18 | Morris Plains | 53.60 | 6,315 | 41.7 | 30.0% | 28.6% |
| 19 | Point Pleasant | 53.60 | 19,334 | 46.1 | 38.0% | 29.0% |
| 20 | Woodcliff Lake | 54.70 | 6,152 | 45.4 | 19.0% | 42.5% |
| 21 | Linwood | 54.90 | 6,992 | 45.3 | 27.0% | 35.3% |
| 22 | Wanaque | 54.90 | 11,206 | 47.2 | 21.0% | 21.7% |
| 23 | Oakland | 55.50 | 12,768 | 40.7 | 31.0% | 36.8% |
| 24 | Hopatcong | 56.10 | 14,565 | 41.0 | 31.0% | 25.5% |
| 25 | Northfield | 56.30 | 8,456 | 43.7 | 28.0% | 29.6% |
| 26 | Mount Arlington | 56.50 | 5,935 | 48.1 | 24.0% | 17.6% |
| 27 | South Plainfield | 57.10 | 24,473 | 41.7 | 27.0% | 34.9% |
| 28 | Paramus | 57.10 | 26,568 | 49.1 | 16.0% | 32.2% |
| 29 | Millville | 57.50 | 27,511 | 44.4 | 28.0% | 24.9% |
| 30 | Englewood Cliffs | 58.00 | 5,362 | 49.8 | 10.0% | 33.6% |
| 31 | New Providence | 58.40 | 13,727 | 45.7 | 20.0% | 37.7% |
| 32 | Brigantine | 58.60 | 7,674 | 60.6 | 18.0% | 9.4% |
| 33 | Allendale | 58.70 | 6,865 | 45.2 | 20.0% | 40.1% |
| 34 | Spotswood | 59.50 | 8,171 | 46.0 | 26.0% | 26.6% |
| 35 | Middlesex | 60.00 | 14,645 | 44.3 | 27.0% | 30.5% |
| 36 | Newton | 60.80 | 8,369 | 42.5 | 27.0% | 28.0% |
| 37 | Totowa | 61.00 | 10,959 | 42.0 | 28.0% | 35.0% |
| 38 | Norwood | 61.10 | 5,724 | 48.2 | 14.0% | 36.9% |
| 39 | Upper Saddle River | 62.00 | 8,439 | 40.8 | 25.0% | 46.7% |
| 40 | Hammonton | 62.00 | 14,840 | 41.4 | 26.0% | 30.9% |
| 41 | Old Tappan | 62.60 | 6,008 | 44.4 | 15.0% | 42.4% |
| 42 | Manasquan | 62.90 | 5,922 | 48.3 | 37.0% | 24.0% |
| 43 | Hillsdale | 63.00 | 10,144 | 42.7 | 28.0% | 35.4% |
| 44 | Park Ridge | 63.20 | 9,406 | 47.0 | 24.0% | 30.9% |
| 45 | Clementon | 63.50 | 5,410 | 42.6 | 27.0% | 26.0% |
| 46 | Oradell | 66.40 | 8,235 | 43.4 | 22.0% | 44.8% |
| 47 | Wharton | 66.60 | 7,318 | 46.3 | 19.0% | 21.5% |
| 48 | Bloomingdale | 67.40 | 7,716 | 43.8 | 25.0% | 22.8% |
| 49 | Montvale | 68.00 | 8,901 | 40.1 | 22.0% | 37.0% |
| 50 | Barrington | 69.10 | 7,076 | 44.3 | 28.0% | 18.9% |
| 51 | Somerdale | 71.10 | 5,581 | 42.3 | 21.0% | 27.7% |
| 52 | Belmar | 71.60 | 5,869 | 49.5 | 23.0% | 13.4% |
| 53 | Clayton | 71.60 | 8,921 | 39.8 | 23.0% | 31.3% |
| 54 | Fair Haven | 72.00 | 6,170 | 40.1 | 31.0% | 47.9% |
| 55 | Hawthorne | 72.30 | 19,628 | 42.4 | 26.0% | 30.3% |
| 56 | Waldwick | 72.60 | 10,164 | 40.5 | 29.0% | 37.9% |
| 57 | Beachwood | 72.80 | 11,088 | 42.5 | 32.0% | 28.8% |
| 58 | South Amboy | 74.00 | 9,989 | 42.4 | 24.0% | 28.6% |
| 59 | Pitman | 74.30 | 8,856 | 40.7 | 28.0% | 26.5% |
| 60 | Wildwood | 74.90 | 5,130 | 45.2 | 20.0% | 21.1% |
| 61 | Pompton Lakes | 74.90 | 11,047 | 39.7 | 31.0% | 31.1% |
| 62 | Manville | 75.70 | 10,921 | 44.9 | 20.0% | 24.6% |
| 63 | Carlstadt | 76.40 | 6,378 | 44.7 | 27.0% | 18.9% |
| 64 | Midland Park | 76.40 | 7,019 | 41.8 | 34.0% | 24.4% |
| 65 | Absecon | 77.50 | 9,170 | 38.2 | 26.0% | 32.0% |
| 66 | River Edge | 77.50 | 12,091 | 43.6 | 21.0% | 35.6% |
| 67 | Ramsey | 78.20 | 14,805 | 41.8 | 19.0% | 35.5% |
| 68 | Butler | 78.70 | 8,133 | 40.3 | 26.0% | 27.5% |
| 69 | East Rutherford | 79.10 | 10,313 | 38.2 | 17.0% | 31.3% |
| 70 | Raritan | 79.30 | 8,368 | 41.3 | 24.0% | 20.6% |
| 71 | Vineland | 79.30 | 61,006 | 38.8 | 24.0% | 34.9% |
| 72 | Somers Point | 80.00 | 10,515 | 43.6 | 20.0% | 21.4% |
| 73 | Haddon Heights | 80.80 | 7,516 | 41.6 | 29.0% | 26.6% |
| 74 | Summit | 82.40 | 22,705 | 41.8 | 16.0% | 38.2% |
| 75 | Leonia | 84.20 | 9,336 | 45.9 | 8.0% | 33.8% |
| 76 | Fanwood | 84.50 | 7,799 | 43.4 | 23.0% | 32.5% |
| 77 | Maywood | 84.60 | 10,093 | 44.9 | 18.0% | 29.4% |
| 78 | Westwood | 84.80 | 11,283 | 41.4 | 21.0% | 33.1% |
| 79 | Hasbrouck Heights | 84.90 | 12,115 | 44.3 | 19.0% | 34.7% |
| 80 | Tenafly | 84.90 | 15,319 | 42.2 | 9.0% | 51.1% |
| 81 | Woodland Park | 85.40 | 13,355 | 42.7 | 17.0% | 29.4% |
| 82 | Kenilworth | 85.60 | 8,401 | 38.5 | 23.0% | 37.8% |
| 83 | Cresskill | 86.00 | 9,174 | 44.8 | 11.0% | 37.1% |
| 84 | Westfield | 86.00 | 31,111 | 40.7 | 20.0% | 43.8% |
| 85 | Berlin | 86.60 | 7,539 | 39.0 | 21.0% | 35.3% |
| 86 | Haddonfield | 87.60 | 12,595 | 39.0 | 24.0% | 50.0% |
| 87 | Ridgewood | 87.60 | 26,308 | 41.6 | 18.0% | 43.6% |
| 88 | North Arlington | 87.90 | 16,461 | 40.1 | 23.0% | 28.1% |
| 89 | Boonton | 88.00 | 8,854 | 39.5 | 29.0% | 30.6% |
| 90 | Palmyra | 90.00 | 7,485 | 44.1 | 13.0% | 21.7% |
| 91 | Florham Park | 90.00 | 13,564 | 40.9 | 24.0% | 27.3% |
| 92 | Sayreville | 90.40 | 45,838 | 39.9 | 14.0% | 31.3% |
| 93 | Washington | 90.50 | 7,334 | 39.3 | 19.0% | 33.1% |
| 94 | Burlington | 91.60 | 9,993 | 40.3 | 18.0% | 28.4% |
| 95 | Metuchen | 92.40 | 15,144 | 39.1 | 23.0% | 37.6% |
| 96 | Linden | 92.60 | 44,192 | 40.1 | 10.0% | 32.7% |
| 97 | Wood-Ridge | 92.80 | 10,218 | 39.8 | 21.0% | 30.6% |
| 98 | Matawan | 93.00 | 9,710 | 34.7 | 21.0% | 31.9% |
| 99 | Ridgefield | 93.00 | 11,498 | 39.8 | 13.0% | 31.4% |
| 100 | Secaucus | 93.30 | 21,778 | 38.4 | 13.0% | 27.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 177 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since New Jersey isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in New Jersey are Mountainside, Watchung, Roseland, North Haledon, Little Silver, Rockaway, Franklin Lakes, Oceanport, North Caldwell, and Emerson.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in New Jersey, according to science.
