New Jersey Has 3 Of The Best Places To Live In America, Study Says

Looking to live among prosperous, healthy people who live lives relatively free from financial struggle? New Jersey has them, one study says, even if they are among the most expensive places to live in America.

The data compiler 24/7 Wall St. developed a list of the 25 best counties in which to live, based on an index based on three social measures — educational attainment, poverty rate and life expectancy. 24/7 then ranked counties based on their well-being.

All but a few of the healthiest, best educated and most financially secure U.S. counties are located within a major metropolitan area — in the this case, New York and Philadelphia. Of the counties on this list, three are located within commuting distance of downtown San Francisco, another three are within commuting distance of New York City, and eight are within commuting distance of Washington, D.C.

The selection of these three measures were based on the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Poverty, insurance and bachelor attainment rates came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey. Population data also came from the ACS. Life expectancies at birth are from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a health research center affiliated with the University of Washington, and are for 2013. Unemployment rates are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are for November 2016. Independent cities in Virginia are treated as counties by the U.S. Census Bureau and were included on this list for that reason, according to 24/7.

These three counties made the list:

18. Hunterdon County, New Jersey

> 5-yr. population change: -1.7 percent
> Nov. unemployment rate: 3.0 percent
> Poverty rate: 4.4 percent
> Life expectancy at birth: 82.2 years

24/7 says Hunterdon, home to wealthy New York City commuters, consists of financially secure individuals and families and a low poverty rate. Even though such places are desirable places to live, the county’s population declined by 1.7 percent over the past five years.

17. Morris County, New Jersey

> 5-yr. population change: +1.7%
> Nov. unemployment rate: 3.2 [pec
> Poverty rate: 4.5%
> Life expectancy at birth: 82.3 years

24/7 says Morris County is one of only 11 counties in the United States with a six-figure median annual household income. The county is within commuting distance of New York City, one of the largest most diverse job markets in the country. Morris County’s 3.2 percent unemployment rate is also well below the 4.6 percent national unemployment rate.

16. Somerset County, New Jersey

> 5-yr. population change: 3.5 percent
> Nov. unemployment rate: 3.3 percent
> Poverty rate: 5.0 percent
> Life expectancy at birth: 82.4 years

24/7 notes that, in Somerset County, 52.5 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree, one of the highest shares of any county and well above the nationwide share of 29.8 percent of adults. The typical household in Somerset earns an annual income of $100,667, 10th highest among all U.S. counties. Somerset also has a 82.4-year life expectancy, more than three years longer than the national life expectancy at birth.

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