Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
East Rutherford's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades B−, ranked 287th of 466 in New Jersey. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $98K. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $644K, 6.5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 35% of households own their home in East Rutherford, below both New Jersey’s towns (77%) and U.S. towns (73%). East Rutherford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. Richard Outwater House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where East Rutherford beats most towns.
Coastal flooding makes up 16% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far East Rutherford is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,438 in 1890, 10,022 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Rutherford. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw7 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw6 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw7 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw8 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumMetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Madison 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 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National September 11 Memorial & Museum: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Rutherford, 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 East Rutherford.
East Rutherford draws workers from New York City and beyond and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also trails Rutherford and its other neighbors on schools.
13,356 jobs are based in East Rutherford, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 7,944 in 2013 to 13,356.
Most working residents leave East Rutherford for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in East Rutherford grew to 13,356 in 2023, 5,412 more than in 2013. 20% of workers work from home in East Rutherford.
| East Rutherford | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, Rutherford highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional High School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Henry P. Becton Regional High School, with 853 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 369 | B− |
| Henry P. Becton Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 853 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 51% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
16% of East Rutherford adults have been diagnosed with depression. East Rutherford beats the New Jersey average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 39% of East Rutherford adults sleep under 7 hours.
| East Rutherford | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | East Rutherford | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.7% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 72.8% | 77.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
236 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 49 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 236 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Rutherford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
East Rutherford has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 24° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 35.4% of households own their home, against 63.8% across New Jersey.
Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). East Rutherford has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 10,566 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in East Rutherford is 38.2 years.
| East Rutherford | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.2 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| East Rutherford | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.9% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.5% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.3% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.4% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 33% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1.6 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lehrer Tract, at 34 acres.
| East Rutherford | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Joseph W. Sesselman Park | 0.4 mi | 2 |
| 2. Lehrer Tract | — | 34 |
| 3. Liberty Crossing Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
East Rutherford's reported crime rate is well below New Jersey's. East Rutherford’s property crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| East Rutherford | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
125 within 15 miles of the center of East Rutherford
About 5 of every 100 East Rutherford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
8,913 counted in 2010 and 10,022 in 2020; an estimated 10,566 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.4% since 2020, after 12.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 notable people were born in East Rutherford.
Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, US
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located 7 miles (11 km) west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,022, an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 2010 census count of 8,913, which in turn reflected an increase of 197 (+2.3%) from the 8,716 counted in the 2000 census. Under the terms of an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 17, 1889, a portion of the old Union Township was incorporated under the name of Boiling Springs Township. The new township took its name from a spring in the community. On March 28, 1894, the Borough of East Rutherford was…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with East Rutherford.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Rutherford | #287 | B− | D− | — | C+ | A |
| Carlstadt | #291 | B− | D | B | B− | A− |
| Rutherford | #105 | A | D | B+ | A− | A+ |
| Secaucus | #294 | B− | D− | C− | B | A+ |
| Wallington | #297 | B− | D | B− | B | A− |
East Rutherford reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare East Rutherford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Rutherford grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #287 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health and C+ 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Jim Powers and Henry Hook.
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