House at, 1914
Short Hills’s story
146 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914.
- 1880Short Hills is settled
Short HillsNJ
A town of 14,923, settled in 1880.
Population
14,923
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$2.38M
+8.7% in a year
Household income
$250K
median
Median age
41.5
years
Jobs based here
6,523
Balanced
Is Short Hills a good place to live?
93% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Short Hills, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 45% and U.S. towns at 29%. Among 469 New Jersey towns, just 1 have a higher share of workers working from home than Short Hills. The biggest place to walk is South Mountain Reservation, 29 acres with 1.2 miles of trail. We don’t grade Short Hills yet; the figures below are still real.
Nearby attractions
All 632 attractions →Madison Square Garden and 539 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Short Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw19 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw18 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw19 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw17 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 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 · National September 11 Memorial & Museum: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Short Hills: who provides what
Short Hills is unincorporated, so Essex County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJCP&L18.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNj American Water - Short HillsNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesEssex CountyEssex County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New Jersey you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereEssex County ClerkEssex County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Feb 2024
ZIP codes07078, 0704107078 97% · 07041 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Short Hills.
Housing
A typical Short Hills home is worth about $2.38M
The typical Short Hills home is worth about $2,384,000, up 8.7% in a year, 4 times the New Jersey typical home. Short Hills’ median rent is $3,126 a month, against $1,778 a month in New Jersey’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. 87% of households own their home in Short Hills.
$2.38MZillow home value
| Short Hills | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,126 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 77% | 73% |
Typical home value
Short Hills$2.38M
New Jersey$575K
Market temperature
10
days on market
108.8%
sale-to-list price
+8.7%
value change, 1 year
13
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Short Hills
Short Hills has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
24″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–42°
Spring40–62°
Summer63–84°
Fall45–66°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
In Short Hills, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical New Jersey or U.S. town
The average trip to work in Short Hills is 43 minutes. Most working residents leave Short Hills for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in Short Hills is $250,000.
2%work in town
| Short Hills | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 43 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $250,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Short Hills2%
New York32%
Millburn Township6%
Jersey City5%
Newark3%
18 mi
median commute distance
6,523
jobs based in Short Hills
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
Short Hills stands out in New Jersey and nationally: a smaller share of its adults have obesity
18% of Short Hills adults have obesity. Only 4 of the 469 New Jersey towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Short Hills. 14% of Short Hills adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Short Hills | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 32% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New Jersey
25 better7 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Short Hills | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.5% | 9.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 11.3% |
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
2.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
9.3% of Short Hills is conserved land
4.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Short Hills’ trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
9.3%conserved
| Short Hills | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 11% | 4.3% |
9.3%
conserved · 312 of 3,353 acres
4.9 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Mountain Reservation | 1.2 mi | 29 |
| 2. Short Hills Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Short Hills
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 112 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Short Hills.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
112
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Short Hills
17pages on Short Hills
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
31 within 15 miles of the center of Short Hills
Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron LeymaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Union4.1 mi$11,350 tuitionUCNJ Union College of Union County, New JerseyCommunity college · Public · Cranford4.9 mi$5,280 in-state tuitionKean UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Union6.5 mi$14,299 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Short Hills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Famous people from Short Hills
11 notable people were born in Short Hills.
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About Short Hills
Place in Essex County, New Jersey, United States
Short Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) situated within Millburn, in Essex County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey, and part of the New York metropolitan area. The community is a commuter town for residents who work in Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, the CDP's population was 14,422. In the Forbes magazine's rankings of the Most Expensive ZIP Codes in the United States, Short Hills was listed among the top 100 nationwide, coming in 66th in 2006 (with a median sale price of $1,200,000) and 67th in 2012 (median of $1,951,846). The median household income in Short Hills, according to the United States Census Bureau, exceeded $250,000 in the period from…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 377 ft
- ZIP code
- 07078
Short Hills’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Short Hills.
Millburn TownshipSummitLivingston TownshipSpringfield TownshipShort Hills
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Millburn Township | #113 | A | D | B− | A | A+ |
| Summit | #51 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Livingston Township | #39 | A+ | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| Springfield Township | #177 | A− | D | B+ | B | A+ |
Short Hills isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Short Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about Short Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Short Hills, NJ a good place to live?
We don’t grade Short Hills yet; the figures below are still real.
What is Short Hills, NJ known for?
11 notable people were born here, including David Levithan and Lisa Taddeo.