Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Its strongest is health (A+): CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country. At B+ overall, South Orange Village Township ranks 186th of 466 in New Jersey. Set against the rest, it does better than 73% of U.S. towns. It also does well on walkability (A+): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. What counts against it is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $867K, 8.7 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. This New Jersey town is home to Seton Hall University. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far South Orange Village Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where South Orange Village Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,178 in 1880, 18,484 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →8 places in South Orange Village Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ordered by what stands out in South Orange Village Township.
South Orange Village Township sends many workers across the state line, has less no health insurance than most of New Jersey and is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s.
Its widest gap with New Jersey is no health insurance: 6.8% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 11.3% statewide. Against the 1,007 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Orange Village Township’s, it is healthier than 72%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
In South Orange Village Township, 7.2% of adults smoke cigarettes. Among 468 New Jersey towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than South Orange Village Township. Two figures for adults in the town: 23% have obesity, 9% report frequent physical distress. CDC measures, 32 in all: South Orange Village Township beats New Jersey on 21 and trails on 1.
| South Orange Village Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 32% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | South Orange Village Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 11.3% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 9.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.1% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of the 7 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the South Orange-Maplewood School District. Also worth knowing: the 4 public schools in South Orange Village Township teach 2,049 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Orange Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 752 | A− |
| STEM Innovation Academy of the OrangesLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 180 | A+ |
| South Mountain Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 613 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
23% of working residents cross a state line to work. The average commute for its 7,836 working residents takes 38.6 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
For South Orange Village Township, the median household income is $196,000. Jobs based locally fell to 5,606 in 2023, 862 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work for South Orange Village Township comes to 39 minutes, against 30 minutes in New Jersey’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Most working residents leave South Orange Village Township for work: only 5% work in town.
| South Orange Village Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 35% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $196,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 23°; snowfall runs to about 24 inches a winter. Summers in South Orange Village Township are warm, and winters chilly, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In 5 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.0 miles of trail. For South Orange Village Township, the trail network density is 0.4 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 5, covering 22 acres.
| South Orange Village Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grove Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
| 2. Waterlands Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Farrell Field | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 16.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 63% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
South Orange Village Township’s property crime rate is 12.5 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence for South Orange Village Township comes to 1 per 1,000 residents.
| South Orange Village Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in South Orange Village Township, 77% come from inland flooding and 6% from heat waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in South Orange Village Township after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Orange Village Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw16 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw15 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw16 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw19 mi BeachConey IslandMadison 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 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Orange Village 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.
16,198 counted in 2010 and 18,484 in 2020; an estimated 19,139 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
65 within 15 miles of the center of South Orange Village Township
College town 18 of every 100 South Orange Village Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Village in Essex County, New Jersey, US
South Orange is a historic suburban village located in Essex County, New Jersey. It was formally known as the Township of South Orange Village from October 1978 until April 25, 2024. As of the 2020 United States census, the village population was 18,484, an increase of 2,286 (+14.1%) from the 2010 census count of 16,198, which in turn reflected a decline of 766 (−4.5%) from the 16,964 counted in the 2000 census. Seton Hall University is located in the township. "The time and circumstances under which the name South Orange originated will probably never be known," wrote historian William H. Shaw in 1884, "and we are obliged to fall back on a tradition, that Mr. Nathan Squier first used the n…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with South Orange Village Township.
City of Orange Township next door grades lower for schools (C− to South Orange Village Township’s B+) and higher for cost of living (C− to D−).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Orange Village Township | #186 | B+ | D− | B | B+ | A+ |
| Newark | #453 | D− | D | C− | D | D |
| Maplewood Township | #156 | A− | D− | B | B+ | A+ |
| City of Orange Township | #442 | D− | C− | C− | C− | C− |
| East Orange | #437 | D− | D | C− | C− | C |
| West Orange Township | #256 | B | D− | B− | C+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Orange Village Township grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #186 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and B+ 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−.
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