Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 49,830.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Monroe Township grades A overall, ranked 106th of 466 in New Jersey. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 96% of U.S. towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $626K, 6.3 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 40% of residents are 65 or older in Monroe Township, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 39 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on history. Monroe Township is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Monroe Township beats most towns.
39,132 counted in 2010 and 48,594 in 2020; an estimated 49,830 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Monroe 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: 2,453 in 1840, a low of 1,829 in 1900, 48,594 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monroe Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw29 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw39 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw35 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & Museum
Big draw13 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great Adventure2.2M visitors a yearMadison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · National September 11 Memorial & Museum: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags Great Adventure: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monroe 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 Monroe Township.
Monroe Township reports less crime than Manalapan Township or any other graded neighbor and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also has commutes longer than most of New Jersey.
Its A+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Manalapan Township (A−) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Monroe Township’s property crime rate is 1.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Monroe Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Monroe Township School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,681 | A |
| Monroe Township High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,583 | A− |
| Applegarth Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 373 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 54% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
12% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Monroe Township. Monroe Township beats the New Jersey average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 27% of adults have obesity in Monroe Township.
| Monroe Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Monroe Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.6% | 7% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 12.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 21,132 working residents takes 40.3 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey. 27.5% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Monroe Township for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Monroe Township is 40 minutes. Since 2013, Monroe Township has added 2,146 jobs, to 12,231 in 2023.
| Monroe Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 40 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 28% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
25 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is James Monroe Park, at 23 acres.
| Monroe Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monroe Township Soccer Complex | 0.8 mi | 22 |
| 2. James Monroe Park | 0.4 mi | 23 |
| 3. Veterans Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Monroe Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
67.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.6% across New Jersey.
91% of Monroe Township households own their home. The typical Monroe Township home is worth about $626,000, up 1.9% in a year, 9% above the New Jersey typical home.
| Monroe Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,031 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 76 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monroe Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Monroe Township
About 4 of every 100 Monroe Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Where Monroe Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, US
Monroe Township is a township located in southern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,594, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 9,462 (+24.2%) from the 39,132 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 11,133 (+39.8%) from the 27,999 counted in the 2000 census. Monroe Township also comprises the largest land area of any municipality in Middlesex County, at approximately 42 square miles (110 km2). Monroe Township was inc…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Monroe Township.
Spotswood next door grades lower for schools (B− to Monroe Township’s A−) and higher for cost of living (C to D−).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | #106 | A | D− | A+ | A− | A− |
| Old Bridge Township | #237 | B | D | — | B | A− |
| Helmetta | — | — | D | — | B− | A |
| Spotswood | #233 | B | C | — | B− | A− |
| Manalapan Township | #94 | A | D | A− | A− | A |
| Twin Rivers | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Windsor Township | #254 | B | D | B+ | C+ | A |
| Cranbury Township | #25 | A+ | C | A− | A+ | A |
Helmetta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Old Bridge Township, Helmetta and Spotswood report no FBI crime data of their own. Twin Rivers isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Monroe Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Monroe Township grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #106 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health, A+ for safety and A− 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−.
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