Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,185.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hackettstown grades B overall, ranked 224th of 466 in New Jersey. It has 7 miles of trail. It reports less crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $468K, 5.5 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. Hackettstown’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, against 0.7 in New Jersey’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Hackettstown is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. Hackettstown is home to Centenary University.
Where Hackettstown beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Hackettstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,322 in 1860, 10,248 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 6 maps from 1888 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hackettstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
36 mi Stadium & arenaSports Illustrated Stadium
35 mi Stadium & arenaPrudential Center
8 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
22 mi GardenDrew University
40 mi Stadium & arenaMeadowlands ArenaMetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Sports Illustrated Stadium: Sam Szapucki, CC BY 2.0 · Prudential Center: Jim.henderson, Public domain · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Drew University: CUBJONES83 (talk), Public domain · Meadowlands Arena: Heath Brandon, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hackettstown, 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 Hackettstown.
Hackettstown trades workers with Mount Olive Township and other neighbors, sees little violent crime and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Jersey.
7.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Stephens State Park, at 43 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Douglas A. Blake Memorial Field | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 2. Stephens State Park | — | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Hackettstown Public School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hackettstown High School, with 868 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackettstown Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 507 | B |
| Hackettstown High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 868 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
At 4.2 per 1,000 residents, Hackettstown’s property crime rate is below both New Jersey’s towns (7.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). The violent crime rate in Hackettstown is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Hackettstown | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 66% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
18% of Hackettstown adults have been diagnosed with depression. Hackettstown beats the New Jersey average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 34% of Hackettstown adults feel lonely.
| Hackettstown | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hackettstown | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.4% | 9.6% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 69.9% | 65.9% |
| More adults with depression | 18.1% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hackettstown has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Hackettstown’s July high is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
58% of households own their home in Hackettstown. The typical Hackettstown home is worth about $468,000, up 3.2% in a year, 19% below the New Jersey typical home.
| Hackettstown | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,469 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hackettstown has about as many jobs (5,022) as working residents, but only 478 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Hackettstown for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Hackettstown fell to 5,022 in 2023, 499 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Mount Olive Township (5%), Washington Township (4%) and New York (3%).
| Hackettstown | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 17% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Jersey average. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across New Jersey.
| Hackettstown | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.4 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 45% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| Hackettstown | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.9% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hackettstown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hackettstown
About 13 of every 100 Hackettstown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
3 places in Hackettstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Hackettstown.
Town in Warren County, New Jersey, US
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is perhaps best known as the home to the US headquarters of Mars, Inc. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 10,248, an increase of 524 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 9,724, which in turn reflected a decline of 679 (−6.5%) from the 10,403 counted in the 2000 census. Hackettstown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1853, from portions of Independence Township. Portions of territory were exchanged with Mansfield Township in 1857, 1860, 1872 and 1875.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hackettstown.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackettstown | #224 | B | D | A | B− | A− |
| Mount Olive Township | #87 | A | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Mansfield Township | #327 | C+ | D | B+ | C | A− |
| Beattystown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Independence Township | #136 | A− | D− | A+ | B | A |
| Washington Township | #75 | A | D | A | A− | A+ |
| Allamuchy Township | #350 | C | D | — | C | A |
Allamuchy Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Beattystown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hackettstown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hackettstown grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #224 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health, A for safety 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.
Hackettstown has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 12 notable people were born here, including Jimmi Simpson and Eric Millegan.
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