Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spotswood grades B overall, ranked 233rd of 466 in New Jersey, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country and the median household earns $105K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $563K for a typical one and 5.7 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Spotswood is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. St. Peters Church and Buildings is on the National Register of Historic Places. Spotswood’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, against 30 minutes in New Jersey’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Where Spotswood beats most towns.
Where Spotswood’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 Spotswood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 623 in 1910, 8,163 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spotswood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw35 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw33 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw35 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a yearMadison 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 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spotswood, 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 Spotswood.
Spotswood is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 65% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
16% of Spotswood adults have been diagnosed with depression. Spotswood beats the New Jersey average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 15% of Spotswood adults report frequent mental distress.
| Spotswood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Spotswood | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 14.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.7% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Spotswood Public School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Spotswood High School, with 762 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Raymond Appleby Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 365 | C+ |
| Spotswood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 762 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 2,041 in 2013 to 1,455.
Most working residents leave Spotswood for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Spotswood has lost 586 jobs, to 1,455 in 2023. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Spotswood.
| Spotswood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spotswood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Spotswood has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Spotswood’s median age is 46 years. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across New Jersey.
| Spotswood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 46 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 45% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| Spotswood | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.7% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.4% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Spotswood's reported crime rate is well below New Jersey's. The property crime rate in Spotswood is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Spotswood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Spotswood
About 7 of every 100 Spotswood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, US
Spotswood is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is nestled within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, with the Manalapan Brook and Matchaponix Brook forming the confluence of the South River (a Raritan River tributary) inside the borough. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,163, a decrease of 94 (−1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,257, which in turn reflected an increase of 377 (+4.8%) from the 7,880 counted in the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Spotswood.
Monroe Township next door grades higher for schools (A− to Spotswood’s B−) and lower for cost of living (D− to C).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotswood | #233 | B | C | — | B− | A− |
| Monroe Township | #106 | A | D− | A+ | A− | A− |
| Old Bridge Township | #237 | B | D | — | B | A− |
| East Brunswick Township | #163 | A− | D | B− | A− | A |
| Helmetta | — | — | D | — | B− | A |
Helmetta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Spotswood, Old Bridge Township and Helmetta report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Spotswood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Spotswood grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #233 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
_-_Full_(48124330357).jpg){kind=link}
_-_Central_Park,_NYC.jpg){kind=link}