Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bridgewater Township grades A− overall, ranked 144th of 466 in New Jersey. Residents are healthier than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household earns $173K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $736K, 7.4 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Bridgewater Township’s median household income is $173,000, where New Jersey’s towns sit at $113,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Bridgewater Township has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Van Veghten House and Vosseller's-Castner's-Allen's Tavern. Bridgewater Township is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Bridgewater Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,578 in 1790, a low of 1,444 in 1890, 45,977 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1720 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Bridgewater Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bridgewater Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw36 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw35 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw36 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw33 mi BeachConey IslandMadison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bridgewater Township, 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 Bridgewater Township.
Bridgewater Township draws workers from Hillsborough Township and beyond and has less housing insecurity than most of New Jersey, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its widest gap with New Jersey is housing insecurity: 7.2% of its 25,788 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 12.3% statewide. Against the 1,598 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bridgewater Township’s, it is healthier than 78%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
14% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Bridgewater Township. Bridgewater Township beats the New Jersey average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bridgewater Township.
| Bridgewater Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bridgewater Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.2% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.1% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. Three of its 21 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater-Raritan Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,220 | A− |
| Bridgewater-Raritan High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,673 | B+ |
| Hamilton Primary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 462 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
36,480 jobs are based in Bridgewater Township, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 26.4% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Bridgewater Township for work: only 11% work in town. 26% of Bridgewater Township workers work from home. Since 2013, Bridgewater Township has added 3,163 jobs, to 36,480 in 2023.
| Bridgewater Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
40 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bridgewater Township is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Washington Valley Park West, 350 acres with 8.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington Valley Park West | 8.8 mi | 350 |
| 2. Washington Valley Park East | 8.5 mi | 334 |
| 3. Duke Island Park | 1.6 mi | 324 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Bridgewater Township’s median rent is $2,176 a month. The typical Bridgewater Township home is worth about $736,000, up 2.8% in a year, 28% above the New Jersey typical home.
| Bridgewater Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,176 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bridgewater Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bridgewater Township's reported crime rate is below New Jersey's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 21 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Bridgewater Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
225 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 225 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bridgewater Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Bridgewater Township
About 4 of every 100 Bridgewater Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Where Bridgewater Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Bridgewater Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Bridgewater Township.
Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, US
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the heart of the Raritan Valley region. Situated within Central New Jersey and crisscrossed by several major highways, the township is known for being both the regional commercial hub for Somerset County (home to Bridgewater Commons and different corporate headquarters) and as a suburban bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. The township is located roughly 32 miles (51 km) away from Manhattan and about 20 miles (32 km) away from Staten Island. Bridgewater Township was created by Royal charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct. It wa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Bridgewater Township.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater Township | #144 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Bridgewater Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bedminster Township | #76 | A | D | A | A− | A+ |
| Martinsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Finderne | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bradley Gardens | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Branchburg Township | #138 | A− | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Bound Brook | #389 | C− | D− | — | C− | B |
Bridgewater Township, Branchburg Township and Bound Brook report no FBI crime data of their own. Bridgewater Center, Martinsville, Finderne and Bradley Gardens aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bridgewater Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bridgewater Township grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #144 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health and B+ 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.
9 notable people were born here, including Casey Murphy and David Wiesner.
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