More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Newark to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Newark are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Newark ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Newark area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Newark proper, although Ho-Ho-Kus certainly tries.
We examined the 211 biggest suburbs of Newark to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in New Jersey lists, these places are a little too far downwind of Newark in terms of quality of life.
$47,917 median income · $266,073 median home price
Located in
New Jersey
We’ll get the ball rolling with Morristown, the absolute worst place to live around Newark according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Morristown beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 4th worst in the Newark area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 3rd worst when it comes to home values.
But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Morristown.
You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$65,810 median income · $442,985 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Welcome to New Brunswick. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 21.7 miles to Newark. Income levels here are the 14th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $65,810 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$61,977 median income · $495,686 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Newark suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Perth Amboy on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.
In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Newark suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$85,767 median income · $488,756 median home price
Located in
Morris County, New Jersey
If you live in Wharton, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 30th lowest Newark suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 4worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Newark. Remember, we looked at 211 cities for this study.
Wharton is about 24.2 miles to downtown.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$85,908 median income · $511,835 median home price
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Plainfield has the distinction of being a Newark suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Plainfield has the 25th lowest home values in the metro Newark area, where the median price is $511,835. The median income is $250,001.
Plainfield has an unemployment rate of 8.9% which ranks 19th worst.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$55,997 median income · $528,882 median home price
Located in
Passaic County, New Jersey
Paterson has 158,735 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)
Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 21.2%.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$55,371 median income · $552,682 median home price
Located in
Passaic County, New Jersey
Ah, Passaic. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Newark.
It’s the place with the 4th most out of work residents in the Newark metro area (12.5%).
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$66,555 median income · $534,667 median home price
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city about 4.1 miles from Newark, but Newark probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Elizabeth has the 4th most uninsured people, 15th worst incomes, and has the 34th highest unemployment rate (7.7%) in the entire Newark metro area.
Homes only cost $534,667 for a reason. That’s cheap for Newark standards.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,349 median income · $491,909 median home price
Located in
Somerset County, New Jersey
If you absolutely have to live near Newark, then North Plainfield might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Newark suburb.
About 8.8% of residents are out of work.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$92,915 median income · $545,869 median home price
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Rounding out the ten worst Newark suburbs to call home is Linden.
Located 7.6 miles outside the city, Linden is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 12th highest unemployment rate (9.5%), and poverty is far above the area average.
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.
New Jersey statewide median: $103,556
New Jersey statewide median: $569,411
New Jersey statewide median: 6.3%
New Jersey statewide median: 9.7%
On the map
Where the worst Newark suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Newark for 2026
To figure out how bad a Newark suburb is to live in, we used Saturday Night Science to identify the kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2020-2024, this is the criteria we used:
- High unemployment rate
- Low median household incomes
- Low population density (no things to do)
- Low home values
- A lot of high school dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Newark.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 211 suburbs to evaluate around Newark.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 211 in each category, where 1 was the worst.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index, the “Worst Suburb near Newark.” We’re looking at you, Morristown.
We updated this article for 2026, which reflects our eleventh time ranking the worst suburbs around Newark.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Worst Newark Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Worst Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morristown | 17.43 | 31,527 | $47,917 | $266,073 |
| 2 | New Brunswick | 33.29 | 56,345 | $65,810 | $442,985 |
| 3 | Perth Amboy | 33.79 | 55,855 | $61,977 | $495,686 |
| 4 | Wharton | 37.07 | 7,318 | $85,767 | $488,756 |
| 5 | Plainfield | 37.86 | 55,236 | $85,908 | $511,835 |
| 6 | Paterson | 39.64 | 158,735 | $55,997 | $528,882 |
| 7 | Passaic | 39.64 | 70,002 | $55,371 | $552,682 |
| 8 | Elizabeth | 41.00 | 137,302 | $66,555 | $534,667 |
| 9 | North Plainfield | 41.14 | 22,809 | $87,349 | $491,909 |
| 10 | Linden | 41.86 | 44,192 | $92,915 | $545,869 |
| 11 | West New York | 42.29 | 52,004 | $71,729 | $463,006 |
| 12 | Dover | 43.29 | 18,563 | $73,737 | $507,729 |
| 13 | East Newark | 43.86 | 2,497 | $48,646 | $589,335 |
| 14 | East Orange | 45.00 | 70,090 | $60,830 | $474,293 |
| 15 | Prospect Park | 45.93 | 6,319 | $53,125 | $535,126 |
| 16 | Fairview | 46.79 | 15,099 | $63,606 | $654,535 |
| 17 | Fairview | 46.79 | 15,099 | $63,606 | $654,535 |
| 18 | Kearny | 47.43 | 40,614 | $79,154 | $584,040 |
| 19 | Dunellen | 48.21 | 7,911 | $86,967 | $526,650 |
| 20 | Greenville | 48.43 | 12,741 | $47,237 | $195,222 |
| 21 | Carteret | 51.57 | 25,496 | $96,862 | $547,897 |
| 22 | South River | 52.21 | 16,124 | $96,147 | $528,552 |
| 23 | Roselle | 52.29 | 22,646 | $92,762 | $507,576 |
| 24 | Hackensack | 54.14 | 46,057 | $84,277 | $465,836 |
| 25 | Hempstead | 55.00 | 58,801 | $90,420 | $627,531 |
| 26 | Guttenberg | 55.14 | 11,754 | $75,683 | $416,701 |
| 27 | Ridgefield Park | 55.86 | 13,235 | $100,718 | $580,536 |
| 28 | Mount Vernon | 56.14 | 72,427 | $78,779 | $568,431 |
| 29 | South Bound Brook | 56.71 | 4,867 | $112,961 | $449,633 |
| 30 | Keyport | 58.00 | 7,171 | $82,321 | $498,250 |
| 31 | Garfield | 59.00 | 32,783 | $79,700 | $580,601 |
| 32 | Moonachie | 59.29 | 3,126 | $90,260 | $656,577 |
| 33 | Lodi | 61.14 | 26,082 | $89,305 | $619,465 |
| 34 | Bound Brook | 61.14 | 12,219 | $90,571 | $503,148 |
| 35 | Rahway | 62.14 | 30,109 | $91,461 | $529,779 |
| 36 | Little Ferry | 66.57 | 10,996 | $85,750 | $585,493 |
| 37 | Yonkers | 66.86 | 209,978 | $83,549 | $680,218 |
| 38 | Elmwood Park | 67.57 | 21,412 | $101,740 | $616,473 |
| 39 | Union | 68.36 | 7,037 | $73,353 | $208,332 |
| 40 | South Amboy | 68.50 | 9,989 | $91,997 | $523,102 |
| 41 | Keansburg | 68.57 | 9,719 | $81,428 | $375,418 |
| 42 | Haledon | 69.07 | 8,980 | $95,870 | $554,772 |
| 43 | Airmont | 69.57 | 10,205 | $94,972 | $963,994 |
| 44 | Lincoln Park | 69.64 | 10,957 | $123,397 | $534,178 |
| 45 | Sayreville | 69.71 | 45,838 | $99,979 | $538,222 |
| 46 | New York | 70.00 | 8,483,844 | $80,483 | $812,861 |
| 47 | Wallington | 71.00 | 11,889 | $85,862 | $673,350 |
| 48 | Bloomingdale | 71.14 | 7,716 | $127,500 | $547,974 |
| 49 | Englewood | 71.29 | 29,638 | $102,571 | $617,542 |
| 50 | East Rutherford | 71.57 | 10,313 | $97,993 | $635,546 |
| 51 | Bayonne | 72.29 | 71,553 | $83,887 | $582,878 |
| 52 | Middlesex | 72.43 | 14,645 | $105,000 | $536,277 |
| 53 | Highlands | 72.57 | 4,518 | $91,913 | $578,869 |
| 54 | Carlstadt | 72.86 | 6,378 | $115,444 | $656,613 |
| 55 | Glen Cove | 73.86 | 28,112 | $92,064 | $810,612 |
| 56 | Harrison | 74.07 | 20,369 | $93,013 | $580,130 |
| 57 | Spotswood | 74.43 | 8,171 | $105,060 | $563,664 |
| 58 | Spring Valley | 74.86 | 33,192 | $57,196 | $871,487 |
| 59 | New Square | 75.07 | 9,803 | $31,443 | $793,683 |
| 60 | Manville | 75.93 | 10,921 | $93,333 | $476,361 |
| 61 | Kenilworth | 77.00 | 8,401 | $118,611 | $625,220 |
| 62 | Clifton | 77.14 | 89,379 | $98,237 | $612,462 |
| 63 | Rockaway | 77.29 | 6,613 | $107,053 | $561,517 |
| 64 | Bogota | 80.29 | 9,360 | $103,299 | $605,189 |
| 65 | New Hempstead | 80.57 | 5,472 | $126,165 | $978,445 |
| 66 | Chestnut Ridge | 82.43 | 10,557 | $111,725 | $862,819 |
| 67 | North Arlington | 83.00 | 16,461 | $94,201 | $619,152 |
| 68 | Woodland Park | 84.07 | 13,355 | $98,845 | $648,176 |
| 69 | Raritan | 84.14 | 8,368 | $107,672 | $545,696 |
| 70 | Elmsford | 84.43 | 5,186 | $120,179 | $678,626 |
| 71 | Boonton | 85.93 | 8,854 | $114,302 | $667,780 |
| 72 | Wanaque | 86.29 | 11,206 | $113,175 | $507,937 |
| 73 | Cliffside Park | 86.57 | 25,781 | $93,452 | $645,671 |
| 74 | Helmetta | 87.36 | 2,459 | $98,952 | $428,680 |
| 75 | Red Bank | 88.64 | 12,862 | $97,477 | $693,365 |
| 76 | Suffern | 88.64 | 11,441 | $104,607 | $576,040 |
| 77 | Kaser | 88.71 | 5,694 | $26,848 | $1,050,815 |
| 78 | Ridgefield | 89.00 | 11,498 | $118,059 | $778,380 |
| 79 | Roselle Park | 89.21 | 14,093 | $109,679 | $538,084 |
| 80 | Palisades Park | 89.29 | 20,290 | $94,743 | $987,743 |
| 81 | Jamesburg | 89.50 | 5,770 | $110,972 | $465,247 |
| 82 | New Rochelle | 90.43 | 82,769 | $109,167 | $917,531 |
| 83 | Highland Park | 90.64 | 15,121 | $104,694 | $585,369 |
| 84 | Bergenfield | 91.71 | 28,450 | $130,045 | $629,539 |
| 85 | Fort Lee | 93.14 | 40,067 | $107,274 | $588,321 |
| 86 | Island Park | 94.00 | 4,976 | $104,926 | $743,254 |
| 87 | Secaucus | 94.14 | 21,778 | $139,821 | $662,670 |
| 88 | Matawan | 94.71 | 9,710 | $123,354 | $645,512 |
| 89 | Mamaroneck | 95.36 | 19,826 | $120,000 | $859,344 |
| 90 | Somerville | 96.86 | 13,410 | $103,760 | $542,519 |
| 91 | Caldwell | 97.29 | 9,003 | $96,824 | $724,635 |
| 92 | Garwood | 98.36 | 4,885 | $110,670 | $683,642 |
| 93 | Union Beach | 100.14 | 5,707 | $119,250 | $527,337 |
| 94 | Maywood | 100.43 | 10,093 | $117,912 | $681,177 |
| 95 | Pompton Lakes | 101.00 | 11,047 | $124,454 | $548,025 |
| 96 | Butler | 101.07 | 8,133 | $111,557 | $549,895 |
| 97 | Riverdale | 101.43 | 4,112 | $102,950 | $484,267 |
| 98 | South Plainfield | 102.14 | 24,473 | $130,239 | $583,003 |
| 99 | Northvale | 103.79 | 4,829 | $127,625 | $751,343 |
| 100 | Paramus | 104.21 | 26,568 | $144,349 | $1,039,757 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 211 suburbs within 30 miles of Newark.
Summary
Summary: The areas around Newark where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2026
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Newark with Morristown casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Newark are Morristown, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Wharton, Plainfield, Paterson, Passaic, Elizabeth, North Plainfield, and Linden.
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Newark aren’t all bad. Ho-Ho-Kus takes the cake as the best place to live around Newark. Not sold on New Jersey? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Suburbs Of Newark FAQs
What is the worst suburb of Newark?
Morristown ranks as the worst suburb around Newark for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. New Brunswick and Perth Amboy are next on the list.
What are the worst suburbs of Newark?
The worst-ranked suburbs around Newark are Morristown, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Wharton, Plainfield, Paterson, Passaic, Elizabeth, North Plainfield, and Linden. We scored all 211 places within 30 miles.
Why does Morristown rank as the worst suburb?
Morristown posts the roughest combined numbers of the 211 suburbs we scored: a median household income of $47,917, a median home value of $266,073, and a poverty rate of 26.0%.
What is the best-ranked suburb near Newark?
Ho-Ho-Kus lands at the opposite end of this ranking, making it the best-ranked suburb near Newark by these measures. Our separate best suburbs of Newark list covers that side properly.
How do you rank the worst suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on unemployment, income, density, home values, dropouts, poverty, and insurance coverage, using Census American Community Survey data. Real numbers, light heart — every one of these towns has people making it work.
