Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,666, settled in 1782.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Independence Township grades A− overall, 136th among New Jersey's 466 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns. The median household earns $92K and it is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $390K, 4.6 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. 12% of residents are under 18 in Independence Township, below both New Jersey’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (22%). Great Meadows Railroad Station is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Independence Township beats most towns.
Where Independence Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Independence Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,224 in 1810, a low of 805 in 1900, 5,469 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Independence Township. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Stadium & arenaSports Illustrated Stadium
38 mi Stadium & arenaPrudential Center
10 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
25 mi GardenDrew University
33 mi Stadium & arenaSHI Stadium
26 mi Park & preserveDuke FarmsSports 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 · SHI Stadium: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Duke Farms: Ekem, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Independence 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 Independence Township.
Independence Township sees little violent crime and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey.
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Independence Township is 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Independence Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Great Meadows Regional School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Meadows Regional Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 361 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 52% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
18% of Independence Township adults have been diagnosed with depression. Independence Township beats the New Jersey average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 8.8% of Independence Township adults have diabetes.
| Independence Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 9.7% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Independence Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.6% | 14.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.8% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Independence Township for work: only 4% work in town. Independence Township’s average trip to work is 37 minutes. Jobs based in Independence Township grew to 924 in 2023, 169 more than in 2013.
| Independence Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.6% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Independence Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Children under 18 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). 51% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Independence Township. Independence Township has grown 3.5% since 2020, to 5,666 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Independence Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.4 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 51% | 45% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| Independence Township | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.5% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.3% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.8% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.7% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 37.3% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.2% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Jenny Jump State Forest, at 319 acres with 2.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jenny Jump State Forest | 2.7 mi | 319 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Independence Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Independence Township
About 6 of every 100 Independence Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Township in Warren County, New Jersey, US
Independence Township is a township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,469, a decrease of 193 (−3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 5,662, which in turn reflected an increase of 59 (+1.1%) from the 5,603 counted in the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Independence Township.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Hackettstown (B) comes closest.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | #136 | A− | D− | A+ | B | A |
| Hackettstown | #224 | B | D | A | B− | A− |
| Allamuchy Township | #350 | C | D | — | C | A |
| Panther Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mansfield Township | #327 | C+ | D | B+ | C | A− |
| Liberty Township | #283 | B− | D | — | B | A− |
| Frelinghuysen Township | — | — | D | — | C+ | A |
Frelinghuysen Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Allamuchy Township, Liberty Township and Frelinghuysen Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Panther Valley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Independence Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Independence Township grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #136 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−.
