Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Allendale earns an A+, 3rd of 466 graded towns in New Jersey. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its schools rank ahead of 97% of New Jersey towns, and the median household earns $160K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.1 million for a typical one and 11.2 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Allendale, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 45% and U.S. towns at 29%. On safety, just 35 of New Jersey’s 359 towns do better. Allendale's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Allendale beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Allendale | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.8% | 14.3% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hillside Elementary School | PK–3 | 348 |
| Brookside School | 4–8 | 502 |
| Northern Highlands Regional High School | 9–12 | 1,257 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Allendale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 694 in 1900, 6,848 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1910 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Allendale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw20 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw27 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw20 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a yearCentral Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · United States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Allendale, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Allendale.
Allendale has schools in the top 5% of New Jersey and has less food insecurity than most of New Jersey, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Jersey.
At 11.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $1.11M) costs more against local pay than in 92% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
The median rent in Allendale is $2,590 a month. Typical home values rose 9.1% in the year to September 2026. 81% of households own their home in Allendale.
| Allendale | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,590 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #5 of the 465 New Jersey towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.11M.
Its public schools are run by the Northern Highlands Regional High School District. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Northern Highlands Regional High School, with 1,257 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 502 | A+ |
| Northern Highlands Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,257 | A |
| Hillside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 348 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
5.7 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Allendale’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. Celery Farm Natural Area, at 105 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crestwood Park | 2.2 mi | 72 |
| 2. Celery Farm Natural Area | 1.8 mi | 105 |
| 3. Orchard Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with New Jersey is food insecurity: 5.8% of its 5,219 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.3% statewide.
Allendale beats the New Jersey average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 23% of Allendale adults have obesity.
| Allendale | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Allendale | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.8% | 14.3% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 42 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Allendale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Allendale has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Allendale has about as many jobs (3,380) as working residents, but only 206 people both live and work here. 34.8% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Allendale for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are New York (16%), Paramus (4%) and Ramsey (3%). Half commute less than 14 miles.
| Allendale | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $160,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
31 within 15 miles of the center of Allendale
About 4 of every 100 Allendale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, US
Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,848, the highest recorded in any decennial count and an increase of 343 (+5.3%) from the 2010 census count of 6,505, which in turn reflected a decline of 194 (−2.9%) from the 6,699 counted in 2000. In 2012, Forbes.com listed Allendale as 481st in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $579,081.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Allendale.
At #3 in NJ, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Waldwick (A+) comes closest.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale | #3 | A+ | D− | A | A+ | A+ |
| Mahwah Township | #116 | A | D− | — | A− | A+ |
| Ramsey | #57 | A | D− | B+ | A− | A+ |
| Saddle River | #145 | A− | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Waldwick | #22 | A+ | D | A+ | B+ | A+ |
| Wyckoff Township | #74 | A | D− | — | A− | A+ |
Mahwah Township and Wyckoff Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Allendale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Allendale grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #3 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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