Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Montague Township's standout: it has 42 miles of trail and 68% conserved land. Overall it grades C, 352nd of 466 graded towns in New Jersey. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 83% of the country. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Montague Township’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, above both New Jersey’s towns (30 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On cost of living, just 50 of New Jersey’s 530 towns do better. Stokes State Forest, at 2,731 acres with 6.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Montague Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 661 in 1810, a low of 534 in 1920, 3,792 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 5 maps from 1906 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Montague Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montague Township. Close and well known come first.
in town MountainHigh Point
39 mi GardenDrew University
4 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a year
26 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
28 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
13 mi Ski areaMountain Creek44 runs · 1,001 ft verticalHigh Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drew University: CUBJONES83 (talk), Public domain · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mountain Creek: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montague 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 Montague Township.
Montague Township has colder winter nights than almost anywhere else in New Jersey, sends many workers across the state line to Westfall Township and keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Jersey.
Its 20,242 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other New Jersey town.
42 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Montague Township’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stokes State Forest | 6.7 mi | 2,731 |
| 2. Mashipacong Bogs Preserve | 0.5 mi | 958 |
| 3. Hainesville Wildlife Management Area | — | 436 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Montague Township School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montague Township SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 329 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests
The typical Montague Township home is worth about $317,000, up 2.7% in a year, 45% below the New Jersey typical home. 81% of households own their home in Montague Township.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 56% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar. Its widest gap with New Jersey is tooth loss: 6.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.6% statewide.
19% of Montague Township adults have been diagnosed with depression. Montague Township beats the New Jersey average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 28% of Montague Township adults have obesity.
| Montague Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Montague Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 9.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.9% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
28% of working residents cross a state line to work, Westfall Township among the top destinations. Montague Township has 337 jobs for its 1,623 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Montague Township for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Montague Township has lost 308 jobs, to 337 in 2023. The median household income in Montague Township is $101,000.
| Montague Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $101,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1981, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montague Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 16.6°, the lowest of 941 New Jersey places with climate records; July afternoons average 81°.
Only 1 of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare have a lower July high than Montague Township. Montague Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Montague Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 81°F | 86°F | 85°F |
| January low | 17°F | 24°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Montague Township
About 3 of every 100 Montague Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
68.2% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
2 places in Montague Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, US
Montague Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,792, a decrease of 55 (−1.4%) from the 2010 census count of 3,847, which in turn reflected an increase of 435 (+12.7%) from the 3,412 counted in the 2000 census. High Point, within Montague Township, is the highest elevation within New Jersey at an altitude of 1,803 feet (550 m) above sea level. It is the northernmost town in New Jersey. Most of the area of Montague Township is public lands, primarily High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest, and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Montague …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Montague Township.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montague Township | #352 | C | C | — | C+ | A− |
| Sandyston Township | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Wantage Township | #369 | C | C− | — | C | A− |
Sandyston Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Montague Township, Sandyston Township and Wantage Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Montague Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Montague Township grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #352 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 John Westbrook Hornbeck and Daniel Myers Van Auken.
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