Is Toms River a more livable small city than Lakewood? SmartAsset study has some answers
SmartAsset, a financial advice website, evaluated 281 small cities in the U.S. (populations between 65,000 and 100,000) and ranked them in terms of livability. Nine New Jersey cities were included in the ranking, but not in the best positions.
Trenton, Union, Lakewood, Camden, Passaic and East Orange were placed in the bottom 20 spots and here’s why:
The evaluation primarily considered the percentage of the population below poverty level, housing cost as a percent of income, commute time, and the amount of entertainment and recreation businesses.
The commute time or the amount of entertainment and recreation businesses were not the issue. Poverty and the burden of housing cost were the metrics that stood out and not for the right reasons.
Lakewood, for instance, showed up in the ranking with the highest percent of residents living below poverty level. According to the 2022 American Community Survey data assessed by the SmartAsset study, 39.2% of Lakewood’s population lives below poverty level. And the burden of housing cost stood at 36.1% of the annual household income.
East Orange, which ranked in the last position, was dinged with one of the longest commutes. According to the study, the mean commute to work for East Orange residents is of 37.5 minutes.
The other New Jersey cities included in the ranking were Bayonne, Clifton and Toms River, which ranked in the101st spot, the top position among the Garden State cities.
Toms River population living below poverty line is 5.2%, and the burden of housing cost is only 20.2% of its residents annual income.
For this study SmartAsset also took into account unemployment rate, the percentage of residents with health insurance, and the amount of healthcare establishments and hospitality and food service businesses.
Here’s how New Jersey cities ranked:
Rank | City | Housing cost as a percent of income | Population below poverty line | Percent of recreation and entertainment businesses | Commute in minutes |
101 | Toms River | 20.2% | 5.2% | 1.8% | 32.8 |
147 | Clifton | 21.2% | 5.4% | 1.2% | 28.1 |
243 | Bayonne | 24.6% | 18.2% | 1.6% | 36 |
263 | Trenton | 29.7% | 20.7% | 1.7% | 26.4 |
272 | Union | 29.2% | 24.7% | 1.6% | 29.8 |
274 | Lakewood | 36.1% | 39.2% | 1.8% | 21.6 |
275 | Camden | 32.5% | 29.8% | 1.5% | 25 |
279 | Passaic | 32.6% | 22.3% | 1.2% | 23.4 |
280 | East Orange | 36.1% | 22.1% | 1.7% | 37.5 |
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey most and least livable small cities. Here's the ranking
