Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Pennington earns an A+, ranked 9th of 466 in New Jersey. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, the median household earns $193K, and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Pennington, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 45% and U.S. towns at 29%. Pennington is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 5 of New Jersey’s 530 towns do worse.
Where Pennington beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Pennington | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.6% | 9.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Pennington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 723 in 1880, 2,802 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 4 maps from 1954 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pennington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw23 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great Adventure2.2M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw32 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile ArenaUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Six Flags Great Adventure: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pennington, 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 Pennington.
Pennington has less tooth loss than most of New Jersey, has household incomes well above the New Jersey norm and sees little violent crime.
Its widest gap with New Jersey is tooth loss: 2.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.6% statewide.
30% of Pennington adults sleep under 7 hours. Pennington beats the New Jersey average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 6.7% of Pennington adults smoke cigarettes.
| Pennington | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 28% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 36% |
| What stands out | Pennington | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.6% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.4% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toll Gate Grammar SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 299 | A− |
| The Pennington School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 537 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Pennington’s property crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Pennington | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pennington has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Pennington for work: only 8% work in town. 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Pennington. The top destinations are Lawrence Township (9%), Princeton (9%) and New York (7%).
| Pennington | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $193,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Pennington home is worth about $666,000, up 1.5% in a year, 16% above the New Jersey typical home. The median rent in Pennington is $1,886 a month.
| Pennington | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,886 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pennington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kunkel Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Mercer Meadows County Park - Equestrian District | — | 1 |
| 3. Sked Street Mini Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
8 within 15 miles of the center of Pennington
About 2 of every 100 Pennington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
2 places in Pennington on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Pennington.
Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, US
Pennington is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,802, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 217 (+8.4%) from the 2010 census count of 2,585, which in turn had reflected a decline of 111 (−4.1%) from the 2,696 counted in the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Pennington grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #9 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A− for schools.
That is 6.6 years of the area's median household income ($100,645 across the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Cassidy Hutchinson and Grant Billmeier.
.JPG){kind=link}
