Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Paulsboro earns a D, 434th among New Jersey's 466 graded towns, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 92% of the state's. It reports more crime per resident than 82% of U.S. towns, including 28 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 21 of New Jersey’s 530 towns do better. Paulsboro's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Only 32 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on incomes.
Where Paulsboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Tinicum Island Range Rear Light Station| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Loudenslager Elementary School | 3–6 | 330 |
| Billingsport Elementary School | PK–2 | 296 |
| Guardian Angels Regional School | PK–8 | 192 |
Where Paulsboro’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 Paulsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 750 in 1880, 6,196 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paulsboro. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw9 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw9 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
4 mi Park & preserveSchuylkill River
Big draw10 mi MuseumEastern State PenitentiaryLincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schuylkill River: Emy111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paulsboro, 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 Paulsboro.
Paulsboro has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in New Jersey and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the New Jersey rate.
At 2.6 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $236K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. Home values rose 58% in five years, to about $236K, against 35% across New Jersey.
At $976 a month, Paulsboro’s median rent is below both the New Jersey town median ($1,780 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 62% of households own their home in Paulsboro. Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Paulsboro | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $976 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, East Greenwich Township highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Paulsboro School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Paulsboro High School, with 390 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loudenslager Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 330 | D |
| Paulsboro High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 390 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 4.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Jersey rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Deptford Township (B) to Greenwich Township (A−).
At 4.4 per 1,000 residents, Paulsboro’s violent crime rate is above both New Jersey’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (1.6). The property crime rate in Paulsboro is 18.3 per 1,000 residents. Paulsboro reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less.
| Paulsboro | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 1,545 in 2013 to 1,009. The average commute for its 2,748 working residents takes 23.6 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Paulsboro for work: only 5% work in town. 15% of Paulsboro residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Paulsboro has lost 536 jobs, to 1,009 in 2023.
| Paulsboro | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1988, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Paulsboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 87.7°, the highest of 941 New Jersey places with climate records; January nights average 26.6°.
Paulsboro has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 4 of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare have a higher July high than Paulsboro. Paulsboro’s January low is 27°F.
| Paulsboro | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 88°F | 86°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 24°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,769 U.S. towns with household incomes like Paulsboro’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Only 6 of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Paulsboro. Paulsboro beats the New Jersey average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19.
| Paulsboro | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 36% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Paulsboro | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 7.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.3% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
31 within 15 miles of the center of Paulsboro
About 4 of every 100 Paulsboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
5 notable people were born in Paulsboro.
Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, US
Paulsboro is a borough situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,196, an increase of 99 (+1.6%) from the 6,097 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn had reflected a decline of 63 (−1.0%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 census. Paulsboro and surrounding Gloucester County constitute part of South Jersey. Paulsboro was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1904, from portions of Greenwich Township. It was named for Samuel Phillip Paul, son of a settler.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Paulsboro.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; West Deptford Township (B−) is closest. East Greenwich Township next door grades higher for schools (B+ to Paulsboro’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paulsboro | #434 | D | C+ | C− | D | C+ |
| West Deptford Township | #270 | B− | C− | B | C+ | B+ |
| Greenwich Township | #179 | A− | B− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| East Greenwich Township | #131 | A | D | A− | B+ | A |
| Gibbstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Gibbstown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Paulsboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paulsboro grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #434 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Seth Lundy and Julién Davenport.
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