These Are The 10 Worst Newark Suburbs For 2018

Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Newark.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which Newark ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Newark area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the suburbs to live up to Newark proper, although Scarsdale certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Newark are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado…

We examined the 213 biggest suburbs of Newark to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in New Jersey lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Newark in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Newark for 2018:

1. Morristown
2. Greenville
3. New Brunswick (Photos)
4. Plainfield (Photos)
5. Elizabeth (Photos)
6. Spring Valley
7. Roselle
8. Paterson (Photos)
9. Moonachie
10. East Orange (Photos)

Read on to see how we determined the places around Newark that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in New Jersey check out the best places in New Jersey overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Newark too.

Editor’s Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it’s because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Newark for 2018

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data, this is the criteria we used:

• High unemployment rate
• Low median household incomes
• Low population density (no things to do)
• Low home values
• A lot of high school drop outs
• High poverty
• High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Newark.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 213 suburbs to evaluate around Newark.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 213 in each category, where 1 was the ‘worst’.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the ‘Worst Suburb near Newark.’ We’re lookin’ at you, Morristown.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

1. Morristown

Population: 29,395
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%
Median Home Price: $109,000
Median Income: $31,259
We’ll get the ball rolling with Morristown, the absolute worst place to live around Newark according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Morristown beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 3rd worst in the Newark area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 3rd worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Morristown.

You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

2. Greenville

Population: 12,979
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%
Median Home Price: $87,600
Median Income: $35,471
Welcome to Greenville. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 26.5 miles to Newark. Income levels here are the 6th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $35,471 a year, which doesn’t go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

3. New Brunswick

Population: 56,427
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%
Median Home Price: $253,300
Median Income: $40,428
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Newark suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see New Brunswick on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Newark suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

4. Plainfield

Population: 50,578
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%
Median Home Price: $235,800
Median Income: $55,657
If you live in Plainfield, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 26th lowest Newark suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 16th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Newark. Remember, we looked at 213 cities for this study.

Plainfield is about 14.8 miles to downtown.

5. Elizabeth

Population: 128,042
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%
Median Home Price: $262,300
Median Income: $43,831
Elizabeth has the distinction of being a Newark suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Elizabeth has the 22nd lowest home values in the metro Newark area, where the median price is $262,300. To put that into perspective, in Scarsdale, the median income is $250,000, which is the best in the area.

Elizabeth has an unemployment rate of 10.2% which ranks 12th worst.

6. Spring Valley

Population: 32,415
Unemployment Rate: 11.8%
Median Home Price: $255,300
Median Income: $45,355
Spring Valley has 32,415 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 26.4%.

7. Roselle

Population: 21,507
Unemployment Rate: 13.8%
Median Home Price: $204,800
Median Income: $46,118
Ah, Roselle. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Newark.

It’s the place with the 2nd most out of work residents in the Newark metro area (13.8%).

8. Paterson

Population: 146,894
Unemployment Rate: 8.1%
Median Home Price: $236,000
Median Income: $34,042
Paterson is a city about 13.2 miles from Newark, but Newark probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You’d be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Paterson has the 19th most uninsured people, 5th worst incomes, and has the 43rd highest unemployment rate (8.1%) in the entire Newark metro area.

Homes only cost $236,000 for a reason. That’s cheap for Newark standards.

9. Moonachie

Population: 2,756
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Median Home Price: $341,700
Median Income: $53,462
If you absolutely have to live near Newark, then Moonachie might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Newark suburb.

About 6.4% of residents are out of work.

10. East Orange

Population: 64,621
Unemployment Rate: 16.9%
Median Home Price: $209,500
Median Income: $38,403
Rounding out the ten worst Newark suburbs to call home is East Orange.

Located 3.5 miles outside the city, East Oranges is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 1st highest unemployment rate (16.9%), and poverty is far above the area average.

The areas around Newark where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2018

Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Newark with Morristown casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Newark aren’t all bad. Scarsdale takes the cake as the best place to live around Newark.

For more New Jersey reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In New Jersey
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
• These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In New Jersey

Detailed List Of The Worst Newark Suburbs

City	Rank	Population	Unemployment Rate	Median Home Price	Median Income
Morristown	1	29,395	9.7%	$109,000	$31,259
Greenville	2	12,979	10.2%	$87,600	$35,471
New Brunswick	3	56,427	9.7%	$253,300	$40,428
Plainfield	4	50,578	10.0%	$235,800	$55,657
Elizabeth	5	128,042	10.2%	$262,300	$43,831
Spring Valley	6	32,415	11.8%	$255,300	$45,355
Roselle	7	21,507	13.8%	$204,800	$46,118
Paterson	8	146,894	8.1%	$236,000	$34,042
Moonachie	9	2,756	6.4%	$341,700	$53,462
East Orange	10	64,621	16.9%	$209,500	$38,403
South River	11	16,305	11.6%	$276,500	$65,254
Linden	12	41,595	9.7%	$264,900	$64,471
Carteret	13	23,966	11.2%	$259,900	$67,776
Kearny	14	42,029	9.1%	$314,000	$61,558
West New York	15	52,407	10.1%	$324,000	$50,334
Keansburg	16	9,904	12.1%	$183,000	$44,808
Passaic	17	70,536	7.7%	$303,600	$33,859
Union Beach	18	5,770	12.6%	$254,100	$66,596
Guttenberg	19	11,628	9.4%	$279,600	$54,368
Harrison	20	15,007	10.1%	$318,600	$58,047
Manville	21	10,448	8.4%	$248,900	$65,163
Haledon	22	8,399	12.5%	$259,100	$67,872
Fairview	23	14,314	9.0%	$352,800	$54,177
Fairview	24	14,314	9.0%	$352,800	$54,177
Prospect Park	25	5,919	7.4%	$249,800	$54,009
Bloomingdale	26	7,995	8.8%	$306,800	$77,049
Keyport	27	7,136	6.1%	$257,300	$51,652
Hempstead	28	55,454	7.1%	$306,900	$56,239
Little Ferry	29	10,868	9.6%	$325,700	$62,543
Wharton	30	6,586	8.4%	$279,900	$66,284
Garfield	31	31,456	7.6%	$329,900	$48,254
Jamesburg	32	6,001	7.8%	$266,100	$66,221
Red Bank	33	12,218	7.2%	$358,200	$69,778
Mount Vernon	34	68,217	10.8%	$357,800	$51,886
Highlands	35	4,900	8.2%	$244,700	$61,487
Perth Amboy	36	52,265	4.0%	$246,500	$49,155
Lodi	37	24,654	8.1%	$353,000	$53,807
Dover	38	18,317	5.3%	$262,900	$64,310
Bayonne	39	65,772	6.9%	$312,900	$54,862
Yonkers	40	199,725	8.6%	$379,500	$61,272
North Plainfield	41	22,106	6.3%	$269,900	$72,139
East Newark	42	2,717	5.2%	$260,500	$59,038
Bound Brook	43	10,512	4.3%	$275,700	$66,300
Sayreville	44	44,260	7.6%	$292,200	$76,844
South Amboy	45	8,762	7.2%	$277,600	$66,294
Rahway	46	28,884	8.9%	$265,300	$66,457
New York	47	8,461,961	8.6%	$508,900	$55,191
New Square	48	7,804	11.7%	$339,000	$21,773
Hackensack	49	44,271	5.0%	$291,500	$56,222
Dunellen	50	7,355	6.5%	$285,200	$76,333
Roselle Park	51	13,560	10.0%	$269,300	$66,168
Ridgefield	52	11,294	7.3%	$457,200	$70,461
Bogota	53	8,348	7.8%	$313,400	$78,059
Elmsford	54	4,814	5.2%	$413,300	$83,520
Woodland Park	55	12,358	7.2%	$371,000	$70,473
Wanaque	56	11,636	6.7%	$295,900	$81,267
South Plainfield	57	23,963	8.4%	$322,600	$91,957
Union	58	6,569	5.6%	$91,400	$64,608
East Rutherford	59	9,236	5.6%	$383,300	$76,771
Carlstadt	60	6,238	7.7%	$386,200	$84,268
Somerville	61	12,207	6.1%	$286,200	$68,393
New Rochelle	62	79,299	7.5%	$545,700	$73,178
Glen Cove	63	27,246	4.7%	$479,800	$73,673
Cliffside Park	64	24,661	5.9%	$415,800	$60,616
Clifton	65	85,578	5.4%	$330,300	$71,830
Ridgefield Park	66	12,976	5.3%	$324,300	$64,980
Northvale	67	4,801	7.8%	$448,900	$88,438
Totowa	68	10,900	7.4%	$369,600	$96,573
Englewood	69	28,184	5.3%	$379,900	$77,272
North Arlington	70	15,788	6.5%	$348,500	$76,698
Wallington	71	11,618	4.8%	$359,700	$57,813
Pompton Lakes	72	11,163	6.5%	$294,800	$91,604
Mamaroneck	73	19,263	6.8%	$591,700	$80,099
Riverdale	74	4,206	6.8%	$330,400	$97,045
Matawan	75	8,894	6.7%	$316,100	$83,146
Helmetta	76	2,314	6.2%	$272,200	$75,096
Palisades Park	77	20,499	4.6%	$506,000	$63,266
Spotswood	78	8,418	6.2%	$286,100	$74,668
South Bound Brook	79	4,613	6.2%	$246,600	$77,713
Nyack	80	6,788	4.9%	$444,800	$63,596
Raritan	81	7,539	4.0%	$334,900	$72,981
Valley Stream	82	37,626	9.5%	$371,500	$94,681
Secaucus	83	18,737	5.0%	$399,300	$94,160
Suffern	84	10,936	5.9%	$309,200	$85,395
Elmwood Park	85	20,135	4.8%	$346,500	$73,837
New Hempstead	86	5,311	8.9%	$471,200	$110,156
New Milford	87	16,682	7.1%	$394,200	$80,709
Bergenfield	88	27,513	5.7%	$332,700	$81,042
Middlesex	89	13,811	4.3%	$302,800	$82,663
Oceanport	90	5,763	8.7%	$447,700	$106,648
Leonia	91	9,137	5.7%	$473,200	$88,401
Butler	92	7,773	5.5%	$345,100	$96,647
Kaser	93	5,082	5.7%	$568,200	$18,538
Fort Lee	94	36,607	5.6%	$326,500	$75,449
Chestnut Ridge	95	8,096	5.7%	$433,200	$96,146
North Haledon	96	8,490	9.3%	$436,000	$100,724
Island Park	97	4,718	5.3%	$366,000	$85,679
Hawthorne	98	18,950	6.6%	$368,300	$89,472
Boonton	99	8,405	5.3%	$367,900	$90,082
Emerson	100	7,621	8.6%	$465,000	$109,613