NJ Towns Graded In 2020, From A+ To D-: How Did Your Community Do

NEW JERSEY - Here's a report card you can't intercept in your parent's mailbox. And you may want to think twice about living in the one place that was graded with a D-.

Or maybe even a place that got a C, like Deal and Asbury at the Jersey Shore.

Niche has come out with its new 2020 rankings of the "Best Places to Live" in New Jersey, but for at least the fourth year in row, it took a bit of a unique approach: The consumer rankings service assigned a grade, on an A+-to-D- scale, to almost every town in the state.

Nearly 100 communities received A+ grades, topped with towns such as Princeton, Cranbury and Mendham.

To arrive at the rankings, Niche.com took several factors into consideration, such as the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics and access to amenities.

Niche created a standardized score for each factor, and after weighting each factor, an overall score was calculated, which was again given a new standardized score.

Finally, Niche.com created a numerical ranking and assigned grades for each place.

Here are the New Jersey towns, and how they were graded:

A+ Rated

• Allendale
• Alpine
• Bedminster Township
• Berkeley Heights Township
• Bernards Township
• Bernardsville
• Bradley Gardens
• Bridgewater Township
• Chatham
• Chatham Township
• Cherry Hill Township
• Chester Township
• Clinton Township
• Closter
• Cranbury
• Cranbury Township
• Cranford Township
• Dayton
• Demarest
• East Brunswick Township
• Edgewater
• Edison Township
• Essex Fells
• Fair Lawn
• Fanwood
• Florham Park
• Fort Lee
• Franklin Park
• Glen Ridge
• Glen Rock
• Green Brook Township
• Green Knoll
• Greentree
• Haddonfield
• Harlingen
• Harrington Park
• Haworth
• Heathcote
• Highland Park
• Hillsborough Township
• Hoboken
• Ho-Ho-Kus
• Holmdel Township
• Hopewell
• Hopewell Township
• Kendall Park
• Lawrence Township
• Lawrenceville
• Leonia
• Little Silver
• Livingston Township
• Madison
• Maplewood Township
• Marlboro Township
• Martinsville
• Mendham Township
• Metuchen
• Millburn Township
• Monmouth Junction
• Montclair Township
• Montgomery Township
• Montville Township
• Moorestown Township
• Morris Township
• Mountain Lakes
• New Providence
• North Caldwell
• Northvale
• Oradell
• Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
• Pennington
• Plainsboro Center
• Plainsboro Township
• Princeton
• Princeton Junction
• Princeton Meadows
• Ramsey
• Randolph Township
• Ridgewood
• River Edge
• Robbinsville
• Robbinsville Township
• Rocky Hill
• Saddle River
• Scotch Plains Township
• Short Hills
• Society Hill
• South Brunswick Township
• South Orange Village Township
• Springdale
• Springfield Township
• Summit
• Teaneck Township
• Tenafly
• Upper Montclair
• Warren Township
• Waterfront
• Westfield
• West Windsor Township

A Rated Towns

• Ashland
• Atlantic Highlands
• Avon-by-the-Sea
• Bay Head
• Beckett
• Bergenfield
• Bethlehem Township
• Blawenburg
• Boonton Township
• Branchburg Township
• Brielle
• Brookdale
• Cape May
• Cherry Hill Mall
• Chester
• Chesterfield Township
• Clinton
• Collingswood
• Colts Neck Township
• Cresskill
• Delaware Township
• Denville Township
• Dumont
• Eastampton Township
• East Hanover Township
• East Windsor Township
• Echelon
• Ellisburg
• Emerson
• Englewood Cliffs
• Evesham Township
• Ewing Township
• Fair Haven
• Finderne
• Fords
• Franklin Lakes
• Franklin Township
• Hackensack River Waterfront
• Haddon Heights
• Haddon Township
• Hainesport Township
• Hanover Township
• Harding Township
• Hasbrouck Heights
• High Bridge
• Hillsdale
• Historic Downtown
• Interlaken
• Iselin
• Journal Square
• Kingston Estates
• Kinnelon
• Lake Como
• Lebanon Township
• Lincroft
• Little Falls Township
• Loch Arbour
• Long Hill Township
• Mahwah Township
• Manasquan
• Matawan
• Maywood
• Medford Township
• Mendham Borough
• Mine Hill Township
• Monmouth Beach
• Montvale
• Morganville
• Morris Plains
• Morristown
• Mount Laurel Township
• Mount Olive Township
• New Milford
• North Brunswick Township
• Norwood
• Nutley Township
• Oakland
• Old Bridge Township
• Old Tappan
• Paramus
• Park Ridge
• Piscataway Township
• Pleasant Plains
• Ramblewood
• Raritan
• Raritan Township
• Readington Township
• Ridgefield Park
• Riverdale
• Riverton
• River Vale Township
• Robertsville
• Rockaway Township
• Roosevelt
• Roseland
• Roxbury Township
• Rumson
• Rutherford
• Sea Girt
• Secaucus
• Shrewsbury
• Skillman
• Somerset
• Somerville
• Sparta Township
• Spring Lake
• Stone Harbor
• Strathmore
• Ten Mile Run
• Tewksbury Township
• Union Township
• Upper Saddle River
• Verona Township
• Voorhees Township
• Waldwick
• Washington Township
• Washington Township
• Watchung
• Wayne Township
• Weehawken Township
• Westampton Township
• West Orange Township
• Westwood
• White Meadow Lake
• Woodcliff Lake
• Wyckoff Township

A-Rated Towns

• Aberdeen Township
• Allenhurst
• Allentown
• Annandale
• Avalon
• Beach Haven
• Belford
• Belle Mead
• Berlin
• Blackwells Mills
• Bloomfield Township
• Boonton
• Bordentown Township
• Brownville
• Budd Lake
• Burlington Township
• Caldwell
• Califon
• Carlstadt
• Cedar Grove Township
• Cinnaminson Township
• Clark Township
• Cliffside Park
• Colonia
• Delaware Park
• East Greenwich Township
• East Millstone
• East Rutherford
• Egg Harbor Township
• Fairfield Township
• Fairview
• Far Hills
• Franklin Township
• Freehold Township
• Garwood
• Golden Triangle
• Greenwich Township
• Griggstown
• Harrison Township
• Harvey Cedars
• Hightstown
• Howell Township
• Jersey City
• Kingston
• Lake Mohawk
• Lebanon
• Linwood
• Logan Township
• Lumberton Township
• Manalapan Township
• Mansfield Township
• Mantoloking
• Mantua Township
• Marlton
• Medford Lakes
• Middletown Township
• Midland Park
• Millstone
• Millstone Township
• Monroe Township
• Mountainside
• Navesink
• Ocean City
• Oceanport
• Ocean Township
• Old Bridge
• Palisades Park
• Peapack and Gladstone
• Pequannock Township
• Point Pleasant
• Point Pleasant Beach
• Pompton Lakes
• Red Bank
• Richwood
• Ringwood
• Rochelle Park Township
• Rockaway
• Rockleigh
• Roselle Park
• Saddle Brook Township
• Sea Bright
• Shrewsbury Township
• South Harrison Township
• South Plainfield
• Springfield Township
• Spring Lake Heights
• Succasunna
• The Heights
• Tinton Falls
• Turnersville
• Twin Rivers
• Upper Freehold Township
• Upper Township
• Wall Township
• Wanamassa
• Wenonah
• West Caldwell Township
• West Freehold
• West Long Branch
• Woodbridge
• Woodbridge Township
• Woodstown
• Woolwich Township

B+ Rated Towns

• Alexandria Township
• Allenwood
• Audubon
• Avenel
• Barrington
• Bayonne
• Belmar
• Bloomingdale
• Bloomsbury
• Bogota
• Bordentown
• Bradley Beach
• Butler
• Cape May Point
• Clementon
• Cliffwood Beach
• Clifton
• Delran Township
• Dunellen
• East Amwell Township
• East Freehold
• Eatontown
• Englewood
• Ewing Township
• Fieldsboro
• Flemington
• Frenchtown
• Galloway Township
• Gibbsboro
• Glassboro
• Glen Gardner
• Green Township
• Hackensack
• Hamilton Square
• Hamilton Township
• Hampton
• Hawthorne
• Hazlet Township
• Hi-Nella
• Holland Township
• Independence Township
• Jefferson Township
• Kenilworth
• Lambertville
• Laurel Springs
• Laurence Harbor
• Lavallette
• Lincoln Park
• Long Beach Township
• Longport
• Long Valley
• Lopatcong Township
• Lyndhurst Township
• Madison Park
• Manahawkin
• Mannington Township
• Margate City
• McGinley Square
• Mercerville
• Merchantville
• Middlebush
• Middlesex
• Mount Arlington
• Mount Holly Township
• Mullica Hill
• North Arlington
• Northfield
• Oakhurst
• Oldmans Township
• Olivet
• Palmyra
• Pilesgrove Township
• Pine Beach
• Pomona
• Ramtown
• Ridgefield
• Sayreville
• Sewaren
• Shamong Township
• Ship Bottom
• Singac
• Somerdale
• Somers Point
• Stanhope
• Stockton
• Stratford
• Surf City
• Toms River
• Toms River Township
• Totowa
• Union Township
• Voorhees
• Wanaque
• Washington Township
• West Amwell Township
• West Belmar
• West Cape May
• West Deptford Township
• West Side
• Wharton
• Woodland Park
• Wood-Ridge
• Yorketown

B Rated Towns

• Anderson
• Andover Township
• Barnegat Light
• Bellmawr
• Berlin Township
• Blairstown Township
• Bound Brook
• Brick Township
• Byram Township
• Clayton
• Concordia
• Cooper Plaza
• Delanco Township
• Deptford Township
• Elmer
• Elwood
• Englishtown
• Farmingdale
• Florence Township
• Franklin Township
• Fredon Township
• Gloucester City
• Gloucester Township
• Guttenberg
• Hackettstown
• Hamilton Township
• Hammonton
• Hardyston Township
• Harrison
• Helmetta
• Highland Lakes
• Hillside Township
• Island Heights
• Jackson Township
• Kenvil
• Kingwood Township
• Lake Telemark
• Leonardo
• Liberty Township
• Little Ferry
• Lodi
• Long Branch
• Magnolia
• Maple Shade Township
• Mays Landing
• Middle Township
• Milltown
• Monroe Township
• Montague Township
• Moonachie
• Neptune Township
• Newfield
• North Beach Haven
• North Haledon
• North Hanover Township
• North Middletown
• North Plainfield
• Oaklyn
• Ocean Grove
• Panther Valley
• Pennsauken Township
• Phillipsburg
• Pitman
• Pittsgrove Township
• Plumsted Township
• Port Monmouth
• Port Republic
• Rahway
• Rossmoor
• Runnemede
• South Bound Brook
• South River
• Spotswood
• Stafford Township
• Swedesboro
• Ventnor City
• Vernon Township
• Vienna
• Wallington
• Washington Township
• Waterford Township
• Weston
• White Horse
• Winfield Township
• Woodbury
• Woodbury Heights
• Yardville

B- Rated Towns

• Absecon
• Allamuchy Township
• Audubon Park
• Bass River Township
• Beach Haven West
• Beachwood
• Belleville Township
• Belvidere
• Bergen/Lafayette
• Beverly
• Brigantine
• Brooklawn
• Burlington
• Cape May Court House
• Carteret
• Clyde
• Columbia
• Corbin City
• Crandon Lakes
• Dover
• Dover Beaches North
• Dover Beaches South
• Downtown
• Edgewater Park Township
• Egg Harbor City
• Elk Township
• Elmwood Park
• Elsinboro Township
• Frankford Township
• Franklin Township
• Freehold
• Frelinghuysen Township
• Greenville
• Greenwich Township
• Groveville
• Haledon
• Hamburg
• Hampton Township
• Highlands
• Hopatcong
• Hopewell Township
• Jamesburg
• Kearny
• Keyport
• Knowlton Township
• Lacey Township
• Lanning Square
• Lawnside
• Linden
• Little Egg Harbor Township
• Lower Township
• Mansfield Township
• Manville
• Milford
• Mill Hill
• Mount Ephraim
• Mount Hermon
• Mullica Township
• Neptune City
• Netcong
• New Hanover Township
• Newton
• North Cape May
• Ocean Acres
• Ocean Township
• Oxford Township
• Parkside
• Pemberton
• Pemberton Heights
• Pine Hill
• Port Reading
• Roebling
• Sandyston Township
• Sea Isle City
• Seaside Park
• Shark River Hills
• Smithville
• South Amboy
• Southampton Township
• South Hackensack Township
• South Toms River
• Stillwater Township
• Stockton
• Tuckerton
• Union Beach
• Upper Pittsgrove Township
• Vineland
• West Milford Township
• West New York
• Westville
• Whitman Park
• Wildwood Crest
• Williamstown
• Winslow Township
• Woodland Township

C Rated Towns

• Alloway Township
• Alpha
• Asbury Park
• Atlantic City
• Barnegat Township
• Beattystown
• Berkeley Square
• Berkeley Township
• Blackwood
• Brass Castle
• Browns Mills
• Buena
• Cedar Glen Lakes
• Cedar Glen West
• Clearbrook Park
• Deal
• Deerfield Township
• Dennis Township
• Downtown
• Eagleswood Township
• East Newark
• Erma
• Estell Manor
• Fairfield Township
• Fairview
• Florence
• Folsom
• Forked River
• Franklin
• Franklin Park
• Garfield
• Gateway
• Gibbstown
• Glendora
• Greenwich Township
• Hardwick Township
• Harmony Township
• Hillcrest
• Hiltonia
• Hope Township
• Hutchinson
• Juliustown
• Keansburg
• Lafayette Township
• Lakehurst
• Liberty Park
• Lindenwold
• Lower Alloways Creek Township
• Manchester Township
• Marlton
• Maurice River Township
• Millville
• Mountain Lake
• National Park
• New Brunswick
• New Egypt
• North Bergen Township
• Oak Valley
• Ogdensburg
• Pedricktown
• Pemberton Township
• Pennsville
• Pennsville Township
• Pine Lake Park
• Pohatcong Township
• Quinton
• Quinton Township
• Rio Grande
• Riverside Township
• Rosedale
• Roselle
• Rosenhayn
• Silver Lake
• Silver Lake
• Stewartsville
• Tabernacle Township
• Top Road
• Union City
• Upper Deerfield Township
• Upper Vailsburg
• Victory Gardens
• Villa Park
• Villas
• Vista Center
• Wantage Township
• Washington
• Weymouth Township
• Whitesboro
• White Township
• Woodlynne
• Wrightstown
• Alloway
• Andover
• Barnegat
• Belleplain
• Bergen Square
• Branchville
• Buena Vista Township
• Cadwalader Heights
• Camden
• Carneys Point
• Carneys Point Township
• Centerville
• Chambersburg
• Chestnut Park
• Country Lake Estates
• Crestwood Village
• Dudley
• Elizabeth
• Fairton
• Fairview
• Glen Afton
• Holiday Heights
• Hope
• Island
• Lakewood
• Lawrence Township
• Leisure Village
• Leisure Village East
• Leisure Village West
• Mystic Island
• New Village
• North 25
• North Ironbound
• North Wildwood
• Ocean Gate
• Oxford
• Paulsboro
• Perth Amboy
• Plainfield
• Pleasantville
• Presidential Lakes Estates
• Prospect Park
• Seabrook Farms
• Seaside Heights
• Seventh Avenue
• Southern Trenton
• South Ironbound
• Stow Creek Township
• Stuyvesant/Prospect
• Trenton
• Vernon Valley
• Victory Lakes
• Waretown
• Waterfront South
• West Wildwood
• Wilbur
• Wildwood
• Willingboro Township

C- Rated Towns

• Asbury
• Battle Monument
• Brainards
• Bridgeton
• Burleigh
• Cedarville
• Chesilhurst
• Circle F
• City of Orange Township
• Collings Lakes
• Commercial Township
• Cramer Hill
• Dayton/Weequahic Park
• Diamond Beach
• Downe Township
• Downtown
• East Orange
• East Trenton
• Fairmount
• Greenwood/Hamilton
• Hancocks Bridge
• Hanover Academy
• Harmony
• Humboldt Sweets
• Irvington Township
• Laurel Lake
• Leisure Knoll
• Leisuretowne
• Lower Roseville
• Lower Vailsburg
• Miller/Wall
• Morgan Village
• Mount Pleasant/Lower Broadway
• Newark
• North Broadway
• North Camden
• North Trenton
• Parkside
• Passaic
• Paterson
• Pennington/Prospect
• Penns Grove
• Pine Ridge at Crestwood
• Salem
• Shiloh
• South Broad Street
• Springfield/Belmont
• Sussex
• Upper Roseville
• Weequahic
• West Side
• Woodbine

D+ Rated Towns

• Cadwalader Place
• Central West
• Lower Clinton Hill
• West End

D Rated Towns

• Brookfield
• Buttzville
• Ewing / Carrol
• NCIA
• Upper Clinton Hill
• Fisher/Richey
• Port Colden

D- Rated Towns

• Port Norris

You can read more about the methodology used on their website.

This post contains reporting by Tom Davis.

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