Most Americans have never been to small town New Jersey. However, as the New Jerseyan who live there know, small town New Jersey is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Jersey has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Garden State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 192 of New Jersey’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in New Jersey where you’d never want to live:
7.3% unemployment · $46,078 median income
11.4% unemployment · $79,697 median income
Data | Movers
5.0% unemployment · $46,541 median income
13.0% unemployment · $45,781 median income
Data | Movers
10.5% unemployment · $89,200 median income
16.1% unemployment · $89,907 median income
11.4% unemployment · $31,558 median income
9.1% unemployment · $58,297 median income
5.5% unemployment · $71,711 median income
Data | Movers
11.5% unemployment · $71,607 median income
Data | 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: $569,411
New Jersey statewide median: $103,556
New Jersey statewide median: 6.3%
On the map
Where New Jersey’s worst small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in New Jersey is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in New Jersey, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 192 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the worst small places to live in New Jersey.
The full plate
Worst Small Towns In New Jersey
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodbine | 2,023 | 7.3% | $322,709 | $46,078 |
| 2 | Buena | 4,520 | 11.4% | $317,766 | $79,697 |
| 3 | Seabrook Farms | 1,448 | 5.0% | $263,653 | $46,541 |
| 4 | Penns Grove | 4,882 | 13.0% | $191,405 | $45,781 |
| 5 | Voorhees | 2,000 | 10.5% | $486,456 | $89,200 |
| 6 | Victory Lakes | 1,577 | 16.1% | $340,594 | $89,907 |
| 7 | Cedar Glen Lakes | 1,519 | 11.4% | $125,812 | $31,558 |
| 8 | Holiday Heights | 2,121 | 9.1% | $424,677 | $58,297 |
| 9 | Egg Harbor City | 4,400 | 5.5% | $337,185 | $71,711 |
| 10 | Lawnside | 3,200 | 11.5% | $301,179 | $71,607 |
| 11 | Rosenhayn | 1,308 | 1.2% | $283,703 | $64,760 |
| 12 | Woodlynne | 2,920 | 11.2% | $196,635 | $74,808 |
| 13 | Oxford | 1,122 | 6.3% | $236,336 | $77,989 |
| 14 | Victory Gardens | 1,759 | 6.7% | $358,515 | $62,550 |
| 15 | Port Norris | 1,612 | 4.6% | $190,489 | $1,000 |
| 16 | Laurel Lake | 2,641 | 6.9% | $196,487 | $55,574 |
| 17 | Folsom | 1,773 | 8.3% | $342,975 | $110,227 |
| 18 | Audubon Park | 1,001 | 8.7% | $140,974 | $56,619 |
| 19 | Silver Ridge | 1,279 | 6.8% | $283,828 | $32,293 |
| 20 | East Newark | 2,497 | 9.3% | $589,335 | $48,646 |
| 21 | Franklin | 4,968 | 7.2% | $380,306 | $92,744 |
| 21 | Leisure Village East | 4,247 | 16.2% | $291,848 | $49,198 |
| 23 | Chesilhurst | 1,409 | 7.9% | $321,583 | $91,683 |
| 24 | Rio Grande | 3,485 | 3.8% | $428,046 | $76,250 |
| 25 | Leisuretowne | 3,564 | 15.5% | $303,874 | $55,357 |
| 26 | Whitesboro | 2,766 | 5.3% | $311,647 | $95,522 |
| 27 | Westville | 4,310 | 7.1% | $275,637 | $70,639 |
| 28 | Seaside Heights | 2,478 | 8.0% | $711,847 | $47,589 |
| 29 | Pine Ridge at Crestwood | 2,719 | 6.2% | $170,297 | $62,235 |
| 30 | Presidential Lakes Estates | 1,947 | 8.2% | $276,184 | $114,348 |
| 31 | Lakehurst | 2,681 | 5.8% | $362,265 | $84,531 |
| 32 | Leisure Village West | 3,969 | 11.2% | $278,941 | $52,500 |
| 33 | South Toms River | 3,716 | 8.0% | $391,641 | $103,503 |
| 34 | Brooklawn | 1,780 | 4.6% | $242,622 | $59,063 |
| 35 | Pemberton | 1,312 | 8.1% | $405,004 | $90,899 |
| 36 | National Park | 3,044 | 6.1% | $270,494 | $82,838 |
| 37 | Swedesboro | 2,733 | 4.8% | $476,701 | $88,542 |
| 38 | Ellisburg | 4,829 | 10.1% | $414,653 | $90,417 |
| 39 | Gibbsboro | 2,435 | 7.9% | $380,791 | $100,313 |
| 39 | New Egypt | 2,050 | 12.3% | $558,473 | $74,063 |
| 41 | Moonachie | 3,126 | 5.3% | $656,577 | $90,260 |
| 42 | Wood | 3,715 | 6.2% | $299,743 | $98,828 |
| 43 | South Bound Brook | 4,867 | 7.2% | $449,633 | $112,961 |
| 44 | Milford | 1,166 | 5.8% | $522,593 | $71,806 |
| 45 | Hampton | 1,020 | 4.8% | $601,913 | $67,222 |
| 46 | Beattystown | 4,917 | 5.4% | $521,292 | $87,500 |
| 47 | Beverly | 2,514 | 2.5% | $281,667 | $89,458 |
| 48 | Groveville | 3,100 | 12.8% | $508,260 | $112,188 |
| 49 | Concordia | 2,611 | 9.3% | $410,392 | $62,206 |
| 50 | Tuckerton | 3,654 | 7.4% | $413,691 | $88,892 |
| 51 | Roebling | 3,452 | 5.1% | $295,193 | $88,750 |
| 52 | Holiday City South | 4,270 | 4.5% | $334,203 | $51,660 |
| 53 | Rossmoor | 3,350 | 6.8% | $243,478 | $64,074 |
| 54 | Neptune City | 4,606 | 5.8% | $527,181 | $88,864 |
| 55 | Mount Ephraim | 4,669 | 5.6% | $306,931 | $79,804 |
| 56 | Elmer | 1,176 | 2.9% | $345,154 | $95,357 |
| 57 | Vernon Center | 1,503 | 2.1% | $217,414 | $74,338 |
| 58 | McGuire AFB | 4,400 | 4.6% | $0 | $74,071 |
| 59 | Merchantville | 3,905 | 3.1% | $355,944 | $90,706 |
| 60 | Ogdensburg | 2,160 | 10.0% | $421,185 | $105,551 |
| 60 | Leisure Knoll | 2,668 | 2.4% | $393,099 | $64,718 |
| 62 | Erma | 1,959 | 8.3% | $513,648 | $96,885 |
| 63 | Manahawkin | 2,392 | 3.9% | $585,352 | $77,031 |
| 64 | Gibbstown | 3,685 | 2.4% | $323,788 | $91,250 |
| 65 | Magnolia | 4,354 | 6.2% | $318,313 | $100,511 |
| 66 | Wildwood Crest | 3,077 | 10.7% | $740,460 | $69,089 |
| 67 | Highlands | 4,518 | 7.5% | $578,869 | $91,913 |
| 68 | Netcong | 3,659 | 3.5% | $481,352 | $83,958 |
| 69 | Blackwood | 4,443 | 4.1% | $370,007 | $90,061 |
| 69 | Sussex | 2,145 | 2.8% | $445,448 | $75,500 |
| 71 | Belford | 1,636 | 10.1% | $622,404 | $113,359 |
| 72 | Flemington | 4,896 | 1.2% | $641,007 | $69,978 |
| 73 | North Middletown | 3,035 | 5.0% | $447,484 | $116,210 |
| 74 | Silver Lake CDP (Essex County) | 3,917 | 1.4% | $561,767 | $82,469 |
| 75 | Frenc | 1,752 | 6.8% | $480,691 | $97,917 |
| 76 | Oaklyn | 3,947 | 4.1% | $342,692 | $84,394 |
| 76 | Ocean Gate | 1,599 | 3.9% | $439,574 | $69,397 |
| 78 | Upper Pohatcong | 1,876 | 1.6% | $351,245 | $103,444 |
| 79 | Estell Manor | 1,565 | 3.1% | $372,165 | $97,318 |
| 80 | Port Republic | 1,076 | 9.0% | $429,528 | $123,438 |
| 81 | Alpha | 2,436 | 2.4% | $327,687 | $90,333 |
| 82 | Kenvil | 1,722 | 3.2% | $458,135 | $85,288 |
| 83 | Glen Gardner | 1,916 | 4.8% | $553,959 | $101,974 |
| 84 | Barnegat | 3,360 | 5.5% | $494,292 | $108,664 |
| 85 | Cedar Glen West | 1,504 | 2.6% | $103,882 | $65,682 |
| 86 | Cliffwood Beach | 3,056 | 5.7% | $458,135 | $116,500 |
| 87 | Oak Valley | 4,413 | 0.3% | $304,003 | $93,472 |
| 88 | Farmingdale | 1,449 | 11.2% | $808,235 | $89,327 |
| 89 | Newfield | 1,844 | 2.1% | $328,756 | $104,107 |
| 90 | North Cape May | 3,731 | 4.4% | $492,846 | $86,962 |
| 91 | Lake Como | 1,619 | 6.5% | $849,583 | $82,045 |
| 92 | Cape May | 2,767 | 3.4% | $714,348 | $62,576 |
| 93 | Bordentown | 4,026 | 5.6% | $432,948 | $103,375 |
| 94 | Brass Castle | 1,936 | 8.9% | $514,776 | $152,256 |
| 95 | Seaside Park | 1,793 | 5.2% | $839,164 | $84,375 |
| 96 | Englis | 1,989 | 3.7% | $638,958 | $91,111 |
| 97 | Mullica Hill | 4,591 | 5.0% | $594,703 | $131,250 |
| 98 | High Bridge | 3,580 | 5.9% | $448,929 | $112,467 |
| 99 | Middlebush | 2,049 | 14.5% | $629,184 | $156,938 |
| 99 | Princeton Junction | 2,025 | 6.8% | $1,001,473 | $224,732 |
Source: FBI crime data + U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 192 New Jersey towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In New Jersey
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Garden State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in New Jersey are Woodbine, Buena, Seabrook Farms, Penns Grove, Voorhees, Victory Lakes, Cedar Glen Lakes, Holiday Heights, Egg Harbor City, and Lawnside. Not sold on New Jersey? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
