Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
River Edge is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 33rd of 466 in New Jersey. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its schools outperform 94% of the state's, and the median household earns $159K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $867K for a typical one and 8.7 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 67% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in River Edge, above both New Jersey’s towns (45%) and U.S. towns (29%). River Edge is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. River Edge has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Steuben House and Campbell-Christie House.
Where River Edge beats most towns.
| Widest gap | River Edge | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.8% | 9.6% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hill School | PK–6 | 697 |
| Roosevelt School | K–6 | 474 |
| Yeshiva of North Jersey | PK–8 | 902 |
Where River Edge’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 River Edge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 561 in 1900, 12,049 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1774 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around River Edge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw12 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw11 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaYankee StadiumCentral Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in River Edge, 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 River Edge.
River Edge has schools in the top 5% of New Jersey, sends many workers across the state line and has less tooth loss than most of New Jersey.
Its widest gap with New Jersey is tooth loss: 3.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.6% statewide.
River Edge beats the New Jersey average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 13% of River Edge adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| River Edge | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | River Edge | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.8% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 14.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A ranks #12 of the 465 New Jersey towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $867K.
Its public schools are run by the River Edge School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hill SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 697 | A |
| River Dell Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 573 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
2.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. River Edge’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Van Saun County Park, 83 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van Saun County Park | 2.2 mi | 83 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
| 3. New Bridge Landing | 0.2 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 8.7 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $867K) costs more against local pay than in 84% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in River Edge is $1,879 a month. Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026.
| River Edge | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,879 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 8.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 69% of New Jersey’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 118 to 54 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
20% of working residents cross a state line to work.
Most working residents leave River Edge for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, River Edge has added 377 jobs, to 3,807 in 2023. 4.4% of residents live below the poverty line in River Edge.
| River Edge | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $159,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
River Edge has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
84 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 84 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Edge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
103 within 15 miles of the center of River Edge
About 5 of every 100 River Edge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
6 places in River Edge on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in River Edge.
Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, US
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,049, an increase of 709 (+6.3%) from the 2010 census count of 11,340, which in turn reflected an increase of 394 (+3.6%) from the 10,946 counted in the 2000 census. The community was originally incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. On December 1, 1930, the borough's name was changed to River Edge. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in w…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with River Edge.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Edge | #33 | A+ | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Paramus | #293 | B− | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| New Milford | #67 | A | D | A | A− | A |
| Hackensack | #393 | C− | D− | C | C− | B+ |
| Oradell | #1 | A+ | D | A+ | A | A+ |
| Teaneck Township | #201 | B+ | D | B+ | C+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. River Edge grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #33 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Billy Paultz and Lee Meredith.
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