Wayne Named Best Place To Live In Passaic County: Report

WAYNE, NJ — If you decided to settle down in Wayne, you made a good choice, according to Niche. The website gave the township an A grade, placing Wayne higher than anywhere else in Passaic County, according to its annual rankings of cities and towns across the United States released Monday.

Niche — known for its college and school rankings — generated lists of "best" places to live for the eighth straight year. The website compiles data from the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combining the numbers with millions of resident reviews.

The company considers factors such as affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, public schools and walkability.

Niche ranked Wayne as the 121st best place to live in New Jersey and gave the township the following grades:

• overall: A
• public schools: A
• housing: B-
• good for families: A+
• jobs: B
• cost of living: C+
• outdoor activities: A
• crime and safety: B
• nightlife: A-
• diversity: B+
• weather: B-
• health and fitness: A
• commute: B

Wayne's lowest grade came in the cost of living category. The United States, on average, is 25.8 percent cheaper than the township, according to the 2022 cost of living calculator on bestplaces.net. The issue extends statewide, as New Jersey had the nation's 12th highest cost of living in 2021, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.

Here are the top places to live in New Jersey, according to Niche:

1. Princeton Junction
2. Mountain Lakes
3. Ridgewood
4. Princeton
5. Princeton Meadows
6. Upper Montclair
7. Haworth
8. Monmouth Junction
9. Glen Rock
10. Ho-Ho-Kus

For what it's worth, Niche's top place to live in the U.S. — Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania — is only about two hours from Wayne.

Niche's rankings have arguably held new significance during the pandemic, which put more Americans in remote-work environments.

"The pandemic triggered a new set of possibilities," said Niche CEO Luke Skurman. "Suddenly, many individuals and families found themselves more mobile than ever before, and in the past two years they have continued to think hard about where they really want to live."

See Niche's full report here.

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