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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in New Jersey.
Most Americans have never been to New Jersey. However, as the people who live there know, New Jersey is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Jersey has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Garden State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 206 of New Jersey's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in New Jersey where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in New Jersey for 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in New Jersey for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Egg Harbor City is the worst small town to live in New Jersey.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since New Jersey has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
Population: 4,072 Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change) Median Home Value: $145,500 (17th worst) Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (11th worst) More on Egg Harbor City:Data | Photos
Population: 2,352 Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2) Median Home Value: $164,800 (25th worst) Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (56th worst) More on Woodbine:Data | Photos
Population: 1,604 Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 9) Median Home Value: $75,200 (3rd worst) Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (46th worst) More on Cedar Glen Lakes:Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in New Jersey, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in New Jersey for 2022
Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
Education (Number of high school dropouts)
High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 206 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In New Jersey
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Garden State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New Jersey, according to science:
Ho-Ho-Kus (Pop. 4,096)
Cranbury (Pop. 2,213)
Plainsboro Center (Pop. 2,715)
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In New Jersey