Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Milford Township does the important things well, at a cost. Its strongest subject is health (A) — it is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. The town’s overall grade of A− puts it better than 78% of U.S. towns, 164th of 466 in New Jersey. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $498K, 5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (C) — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than two thirds of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 56% of the land locally is conserved, above both New Jersey’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Long Pond Ironworks State Park, 4,618 acres with 49.8 miles of trail. Only 3 of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare have a lower July high than West Milford Township.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · USGS PAD-US · OpenStreetMap · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where West Milford Township beats most towns.
56% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far West Milford Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,108 in 1840, a low of 1,763 in 1920, 24,862 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Milford Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw30 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw32 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw32 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a yearCentral 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 · United States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, 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 West Milford 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 West Milford Township.
West Milford Township pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the New Jersey norm, keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Jersey and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey.
Its 28,936 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of New Jersey towns.
Trails total 238 miles in 9 parks and preserves. West Milford Township’s concentration of trails is 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Long Pond Ironworks State Park | 49.8 mi | 4,618 |
| 2. Newark (Pequannock) Watershed | 11.5 mi | 1,586 |
| 3. Apshawa Preserve | 7.3 mi | 576 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Public schools: the West Milford Township Public School District. Two of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 5 public schools in West Milford Township teach 1,298 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macopin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 675 | C+ |
| West Milford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 947 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 57% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar. Against the 4,325 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Milford Township’s, it is healthier than 70%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Nearly a tenth of West Milford Township adults have diabetes. This New Jersey town does better than the New Jersey average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1. Among adults in the town, 17% have been diagnosed with depression and 18% binge drink.
| West Milford Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 28% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 36% |
| What stands out | West Milford Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 20 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
West Milford Township’s rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 2.7 per 1,000 residents. Its violent crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| West Milford Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 13,029 working residents takes 39.8 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles. In West Milford Township, the average commute is 40 minutes. Only nearly a tenth of working residents stay in West Milford Township for work; the rest commute out. For residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 3%.
| West Milford Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 40 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $132,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 19° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter. West Milford Township brings chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
104 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
82% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. West Milford Township has had 104 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Federal aid has come to West Milford Township households in 10 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
West Milford Township grades A− overall with a typical home of about $499K, below the New Jersey typical value; only 24 of the 132 New Jersey towns graded A− or better can say that.
In West Milford Township, 89% of households own their home. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 3.6% in value. Its midpoint rent stands at $1,737 a month.
| West Milford Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,737 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among adults 25 and older in West Milford Township, 39% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (40% statewide). For West Milford Township, the age of the median resident is 46.7 years.
| West Milford Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.7 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 45.7, men 47.8.
| West Milford Township | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.3% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.2% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.6% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.5% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.4% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.2% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
4 within 15 miles of the center of West Milford Township
About 5 of every 100 West Milford Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Where West Milford Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in West Milford Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in West Milford Township.
Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, US
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,862, a decrease of 988 (−3.8%) from the 2010 census count of 25,850, which in turn reflected a decline of 560 (−2.1%) from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 census. It is the largest in the county by total area, covering 80.32 square miles (208.0 km2) and more than 40% of the county. West Milford was home to a Warner Bros.-owned theme park from 1972 to 1976 entitled Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat. The 800-acre (320 ha) Jungle Habitat property, with 26 miles (42 km) of paved roads, was purchased by the state in 1988 for $1.45 million and remnants of t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with West Milford Township.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A−; Rockaway Township (A−) is closest. Kinnelon next door grades higher for schools (A to West Milford Township’s B−) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Milford Township | #164 | A− | C− | A | B− | A |
| Jefferson Township | #121 | A | D | A+ | B− | A |
| Newfoundland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kinnelon | #48 | A | D− | A+ | A | A+ |
| Macopin | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rockaway Township | #162 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Ringwood | #127 | A | C− | A+ | B− | A |
| Oak Ridge | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Newfoundland, Macopin and Oak Ridge aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Milford Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Milford Township grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #164 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health, A for safety and B− 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Laurene Powell Jobs and Billy Howerdel.
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