Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Butler grades A overall, 110th of 466 graded towns in New Jersey. It is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $112K. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $558K, 5.6 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Butler Forest Preserve, at 23 acres. 18% of residents are under 18 in Butler, against 21% in New Jersey’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns.
Where Butler beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Butler is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,265 in 1910, 8,047 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Butler. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw25 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw25 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw34 mi MuseumUnited States Military AcademyCentral 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 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · United States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Butler, 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 Butler.
Butler trades workers with Wayne Township and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 58% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
25% of adults have obesity in Butler. Butler beats the New Jersey average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Butler.
| Butler | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 9.7% | 12% |
| What stands out | Butler | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 14.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 12.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.8% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Butler Public School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Butler High School, with 482 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Decker SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 383 | C+ |
| Butler High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 482 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 48 to 59 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 7.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 70% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Butler.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Butler has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Butler’s July high is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Butler has about as many jobs (3,587) as working residents, but only 244 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Butler for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Butler grew to 3,587 in 2023, 345 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Butler is 30 minutes.
| Butler | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $112,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 15% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Jersey average. 43% of Butler adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Butler has grown 2% since 2020, to 8,184 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Butler | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.3 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| Butler | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.4% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.5% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.7% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.8% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 34.9% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Butler | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Butler Forest Preserve | — | 23 |
| 2. Stonybrook Swim Club | — | 4 |
| 3. Butler Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Butler | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,599 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 77% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Butler
About 6 of every 100 Butler residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, US
Butler is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,047, an increase of 508 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,539, which in turn reflected an increase of 119 (+1.6%) from the 7,420 counted in the 2000 census. Butler was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1901, from portions of Pequannock Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Butler.
Kinnelon next door grades higher for schools (A to Butler’s B) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | #110 | A | C− | A− | B | A |
| Bloomingdale | #230 | B | D | A | C+ | A− |
| Kinnelon | #48 | A | D− | A+ | A | A+ |
| Riverdale | #265 | B− | D | C | B+ | A |
| Macopin | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Milford Township | #164 | A− | C− | A | B− | A |
Macopin isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Butler with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Butler grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #110 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Frederick Allen Aldrich and Harry L. Sears.
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