Do you live in one of the most miserable places in New Jersey?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in New Jersey – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which New Jersey cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Garden State:
- Newark (Photos)
- West New York (Photos)
- East Orange (Photos)
- Guttenberg (Photos)
- Union City (Photos)
- Keansburg (Photos)
- Jersey City (Photos)
- Asbury Park (Photos)
- Plainfield (Photos)
- Bridgeton (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Hamilton Square is the happiest place in New Jersey.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In New Jersey
In order to rank the unhappiest places in New Jersey, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in New Jersey with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 257 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In New Jersey’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Newark
Population: 278,750
People Who Own Their Home: 18.74%
Married Adults: 27.47%
2. West New York
Population: 51,511
People Who Own Their Home: 18.7%
Married Adults: 40.13%
3. East Orange
Population: 64,538
People Who Own Their Home: 22.35%
Married Adults: 25.65%
4. Guttenberg
Population: 11,397
People Who Own Their Home: 28.75%
Married Adults: 35.92%
5. Union City
Population: 68,001
People Who Own Their Home: 16.61%
Married Adults: 37.19%
6. Keansburg
Population: 10,011
People Who Own Their Home: 45.55%
Married Adults: 36.91%
7. Jersey City
Population: 255,861
People Who Own Their Home: 26.23%
Married Adults: 41.06%
8. Asbury Park
Population: 15,933
People Who Own Their Home: 16.26%
Married Adults: 21.9%
9. Plainfield
Population: 50,423
People Who Own Their Home: 43.5%
Married Adults: 32.67%
10. Bridgeton
Population: 25,252
People Who Own Their Home: 35.28%
Married Adults: 28.06%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more New Jersey reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In New Jersey
- These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In New Jersey
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In New Jersey
City | Rank |
---|---|
Newark | 1 |
West New York | 2 |
East Orange | 3 |
Guttenberg | 4 |
Union City | 5 |
Keansburg | 6 |
Jersey City | 7 |
Asbury Park | 8 |
Plainfield | 9 |
Bridgeton | 10 |
Sussex | 11 |
Fairview | 12 |
Lindenwold | 13 |
Elizabeth | 14 |
Penns Grove | 15 |
Trenton | 16 |
Roselle | 17 |
New Brunswick | 18 |
Passaic | 19 |
Atlantic City | 20 |
Camden | 21 |
Highlands | 22 |
Harrison | 23 |
Long Branch | 24 |
Paterson | 25 |
Wildwood | 26 |
Ventnor City | 27 |
Salem | 28 |
Red Bank | 29 |
Pleasantville | 30 |
Beverly | 31 |
Carneys Point | 32 |
Bayonne | 33 |
Washington | 34 |
Madison Park | 35 |
Palisades Park | 36 |
Paulsboro | 37 |
Phillipsburg | 38 |
South River | 39 |
Newton | 40 |
Cliffside Park | 41 |
Hackensack | 42 |
Kearny | 43 |
Belmar | 44 |
Prospect Park | 45 |
Carteret | 46 |
Lodi | 47 |
Magnolia | 48 |
Woodbury | 49 |
Rahway | 50 |
Garfield | 51 |
Linden | 52 |
Echelon | 53 |
Millville | 54 |
Browns Mills | 55 |
Franklin | 56 |
North Plainfield | 57 |
Pine Hill | 58 |
Bound Brook | 59 |
Clementon | 60 |
Perth Amboy | 61 |
Englewood | 62 |
Gloucester City | 63 |
Wharton | 64 |
Fort Lee | 65 |
Haledon | 66 |
Westville | 67 |
Forked River | 68 |
Union Beach | 69 |
Rossmoor | 70 |
Hoboken | 71 |
Villas | 72 |
Vineland | 73 |
Freehold | 74 |
Brigantine | 75 |
Burlington | 76 |
Glassboro | 77 |
Dover | 78 |
Little Ferry | 79 |
Berlin | 80 |
Manville | 81 |
Edgewater | 82 |
Highland Park | 83 |
Bellmawr | 84 |
Mystic Island | 85 |
East Franklin | 86 |
Jamesburg | 87 |
Keyport | 88 |
Twin Rivers | 89 |
Princeton Meadows | 90 |
Bogota | 91 |
Carlstadt | 92 |
Stratford | 93 |
Ridgefield | 94 |
Wallington | 95 |
Avenel | 96 |
Williamstown | 97 |
North Arlington | 98 |
Clifton | 99 |
Hopatcong | 100 |
Clayton | 101 |
Holiday City-Berkeley | 102 |
Bergenfield | 103 |
Leonia | 104 |
Budd Lake | 105 |
Crestwood Village | 106 |
East Rutherford | 107 |
Franklin Park | 108 |
Lakewood | 109 |
Woodbridge | 110 |
Ridgefield Park | 111 |
Palmyra | 112 |
Caldwell | 113 |
Hammonton | 114 |
Collingswood | 115 |
Butler | 116 |
Barrington | 117 |
Bloomingdale | 118 |
Concordia | 119 |
Smithville | 120 |
Pomona | 121 |
Matawan | 122 |
Hasbrouck Heights | 123 |
Totowa | 124 |
Iselin | 125 |
Ocean City | 126 |
Margate City | 127 |
Oceanport | 128 |
Tinton Falls | 129 |
Spring Lake | 130 |
Toms River | 131 |
Emerson | 132 |
Pennsville | 133 |
Point Pleasant | 134 |
Wanaque | 135 |
Fort Dix | 136 |
Woodland Park | 137 |
Belvidere | 138 |
New Milford | 139 |
Manasquan | 140 |
Boonton | 141 |
Somerville | 142 |
Elmwood Park | 143 |
Laurence Harbor | 144 |
Florence | 145 |
Finderne | 146 |
Glendora | 147 |
Mount Arlington | 148 |
Fords | 149 |
Pine Lake Park | 150 |
Hawthorne | 151 |
Maywood | 152 |
Lambertville | 153 |
Somerset | 154 |
Dunellen | 155 |
Cherry Hill Mall | 156 |
Clinton | 157 |
Pompton Lakes | 158 |
Tenafly | 159 |
Westwood | 160 |
Fairview | 161 |
West Long Branch | 162 |
Pitman | 163 |
Absecon | 164 |
East Freehold | 165 |
Beachwood | 166 |
Moorestown-Lenola | 167 |
Audubon | 168 |
Raritan | 169 |
Closter | 170 |
Summit | 171 |
Fair Lawn | 172 |
Kingston Estates | 173 |
Lawrenceville | 174 |
Metuchen | 175 |
Old Bridge | 176 |
Montvale | 177 |
Ocean Acres | 178 |
Park Ridge | 179 |
Dumont | 180 |
Ogdensburg | 181 |
Wood-Ridge | 182 |
Ramblewood | 183 |
Ridgewood | 184 |
Colonia | 185 |
Allendale | 186 |
Middlesex | 187 |
Madison | 188 |
Heathcote | 189 |
Northfield | 190 |
Hamburg | 191 |
Kendall Park | 192 |
Riverdale | 193 |
Riverton | 194 |
West Freehold | 195 |
Brookdale | 196 |
Marlton | 197 |
Lincoln Park | 198 |
Lake Mohawk | 199 |
Haddon Heights | 200 |
Spotswood | 201 |
Greenwich | 202 |
Chatham | 203 |
Strathmore | 204 |
Morris Plains | 205 |
Kenilworth | 206 |
Yorketown | 207 |
North Haledon | 208 |
Midland Park | 209 |
Ashland | 210 |
Kinnelon | 211 |
Old Tappan | 212 |
Florham Park | 213 |
Watchung | 214 |
Westfield | 215 |
Bernardsville | 216 |
Upper Montclair | 217 |
Hillsdale | 218 |
Paramus | 219 |
Mountainside | 220 |
Ramtown | 221 |
Norwood | 222 |
Cresskill | 223 |
Fanwood | 224 |
Little Silver | 225 |
Dayton | 226 |
Bradley Gardens | 227 |
New Providence | 228 |
Waldwick | 229 |
Yardville | 230 |
Green Knoll | 231 |
Mercerville | 232 |
Glen Ridge | 233 |
Ringwood | 234 |
White Horse | 235 |
Franklin Lakes | 236 |
Englewood Cliffs | 237 |
Lincroft | 238 |
Greentree | 239 |
Linwood | 240 |
Oradell | 241 |
Upper Saddle River | 242 |
Oakland | 243 |
Shrewsbury | 244 |
Ramsey | 245 |
Glen Rock | 246 |
Martinsville | 247 |
Haddonfield | 248 |
Roseland | 249 |
Succasunna | 250 |
Mendham | 251 |
Woodcliff Lake | 252 |
Fair Haven | 253 |
North Caldwell | 254 |
White Meadow Lake | 255 |
Springdale | 256 |
Hamilton Square | 257 |