Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wantage Township grades C overall, ranked 369th of 466 in New Jersey, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 28 miles of trail and 33% conserved land. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $370K for a typical one and 3.7 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 33% of the land in Wantage Township is conserved, above both New Jersey’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On walkability, just 43 of New Jersey’s 530 towns do worse. Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, at 1,955 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Wantage Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,969 in 1810, a low of 1,898 in 1920, 10,811 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1787 and 3 maps from 1906 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wantage Township takes its name from Wantage in Oxfordshire, England, 3,410 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionWantage Township, settled in 1754, takes its name from Wantage, a town in Oxfordshire, England.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Wantage Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wantage Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
5 mi MountainHigh Point
36 mi GardenDrew University
8 mi Ski areaMountain Creek44 runs · 1,001 ft vertical
24 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
19 mi Theme parkLegoland New YorkUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · High Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drew University: CUBJONES83 (talk), Public domain · Mountain Creek: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legoland New York: MattCC716, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wantage 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Wantage Township.
Wantage Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Jersey and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also trails Hardyston Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Its 13,992 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 88% of New Jersey towns.
28 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge | 1.7 mi | 1,955 |
| 2. Stokes State Forest | 0.9 mi | 260 |
| 3. Congleton Preserve | — | 173 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Hardyston Township highest at B−.
Its public schools are run by the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is High Point Regional High School District, with 791 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton E. LawrenceLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 426 | – |
| High Point Regional High School DistrictLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 791 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 63% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
19% of Wantage Township adults have been diagnosed with depression, against 16% in New Jersey’s towns and 23% across U.S. towns. 28% of Wantage Township adults have obesity. Wantage Township beats the New Jersey average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Wantage Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Wantage Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 14.3% |
| More adults with depression | 19.3% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Wantage Township for work: only 9% work in town. The average trip to work in Wantage Township is 36 minutes. Since 2013, Wantage Township has added 192 jobs, to 1,929 in 2023.
| Wantage Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Wantage Township’s July high is 83°F. Wantage Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wantage Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wantage Township
About 5 of every 100 Wantage Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Where Wantage Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Wantage Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, US
Wantage Township (pronounced WHAN-tij) is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 10,811, a decrease of 547 (−4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 11,358, which in turn reflected an increase of 971 (+9.3%) from the 10,387 counted in the 2000 census. Wantage Township was formed as a precinct on May 30, 1754, from portions of Newton Township. It was incorporated as a township on February 21, 1798, as part of the state's initial group of 104 townships. Boundary exchanges were made with Frankford Township in both 1826 and 1834. Portions of the township were taken on October 14, 1891, to form the Borough of D…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Wantage Township.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Montague Township (C) is closest.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wantage Township | #369 | C | C− | — | C | A− |
| Vernon Township | #204 | B+ | C− | A+ | B− | A |
| Hardyston Township | #205 | B+ | D | A | B− | A− |
| Montague Township | #352 | C | C | — | C+ | A− |
| Frankford Township | #319 | C+ | C− | — | B− | A− |
Wantage Township, Montague Township and Frankford Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wantage Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wantage Township grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #369 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Hugh Judson Kilpatrick and Parker Space.
