Alpha Mennonite Church, NJ, Nov. 2024, 2024
Alpha’s story
125 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,140 in 1920, 2,328 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 5 maps from 1890 on.
- 1901Alpha is settled
Population
2,362
2025 Census estimate · +1.5% since 2020
Median home value
$262K
Census ACS
Household income
$90K
median
Median age
43.2
years
Jobs based here
1,183
Balanced
Is Alpha a good place to live?
The best of Alpha’s subject grades are an A− for incomes and safety and an A for the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. Only 27 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score higher on hazard risk. Alpha is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. 16% of the land in Alpha is conserved, against 11% in New Jersey’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Alpha's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Alpha Community Park, at 37 acres. Alpha has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Alpha stand out
Where Alpha beats most towns.
How Alpha grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Alpha is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & incomeA−Open →SafetyA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $262K, 3.1 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household incomeC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.8 of 20; 3.4% of households have no car; 2.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthSt. Luke's Warren Hospital 3.1 miles awayBOpen →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailAOpen →HistoryCOpen →Civic life0.5 library visits per resident; 3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 354 attractions →Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and 111 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alpha. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
3 mi Park & preserveLehigh River
39 mi GardenDrew University
38 mi Stadium & arenaSHI Stadium
30 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
17 mi Stadium & arenaPPL CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lehigh River: The original uploader was Malepheasant at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Drew University: CUBJONES83 (talk), Public domain · SHI Stadium: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Alpha: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alpha, and how to reach them.
PowerJCP&L18.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAlpha Municipal Water WorksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers86% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWednesdayTrash dayTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn New Jersey you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWarren County ClerkWarren County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code0886508865 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alpha.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Alpha, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alpha.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
3
paid flood claims since 1982
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Alpha’s schools trail 62% of New Jersey districts
Its public schools are run by the Alpha Borough School District. Its one school is below.
38%of NJ districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Borough SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 215 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests
SafetyA−
Alpha reports less crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns
At 0 per 1,000 residents, Alpha’s violent crime rate is where New Jersey’s towns sit at 0.7 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
79%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
| Alpha | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Alpha0
New Jersey2
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Alpha6.3
New Jersey12.7
U.S.15.5
79th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
15
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
15.7%conserved
15.7%
conserved · 171 of 1,093 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alpha Community Park | 0.6 mi | 37 |
| 2. John Dolak Ballfield | — | 6 |
| 3. Veterans Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Alpha
Alpha has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–41°
Spring38–62°
Summer60–83°
Fall42–65°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Residents of Alpha are healthier than 64% of U.S. towns
Alpha beats the New Jersey average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of Alpha adults have been diagnosed with depression.
64%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Alpha | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New Jersey
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Alpha | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.6% | 5.1% |
| More adults with depression | 19.3% | 15.1% |
| More smokers | 13.8% | 10.9% |
St. Luke's Warren Hospital
3.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most working residents commute out of Alpha
Most working residents leave Alpha for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Alpha has added 361 jobs, to 1,183 in 2023. Alpha’s median household income is $90,000.
6%work in town
| Alpha | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Alpha6%
Phillipsburg6%
Raritan Township3%
Bethlehem3%
Flemington2%
21 mi
median commute distance
1,183
jobs based in Alpha
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade C−
Homes in Alpha sell for about $350K
The median rent in Alpha is $1,362 a month.
$350Kmedian sale price
| Alpha | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,362 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 77% | 73% |
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Alpha
19pages on Alpha
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Alpha
Lafayette CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Easton, PA3.9 mi$65,398 tuitionNorthampton County Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Bethlehem, PA8.8 mi$5,550 in-state tuitionPennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh ValleyUniversity or college · Public · Center Valley, PA14.6 mi$15,208 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Alpha residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
About Alpha
Borough in Warren County, New Jersey, US
Alpha is a borough in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,328, a decrease of 41 (−1.7%) from the 2010 census count of 2,369, which in turn reflected a decline of 113 (−4.6%) from the 2,482 counted in the 2000 census. Alpha was incorporated as a borough from portions of Pohatcong Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on June 26, 1911, and signed by Governor Woodrow Wilson, based on the results of a referendum held on May 31, 1911. The borough was named for the Alpha Cement Works.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1911
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 269 ft
Alpha’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Alpha.
Upper PohatcongAlpha
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | — | — | C− | A− | C+ | B |
| Upper Pohatcong | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Alpha has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Upper Pohatcong isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Alpha with a neighbor →
Questions about Alpha
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alpha, NJ expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $262,000, 55% below the New Jersey typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.