Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westfield is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 14th of 466 in New Jersey. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, the median household earns $233K, and its schools outperform 87% of the state's. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 13.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 78% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Westfield, above both the New Jersey town median (45%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Westfield is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Only 41 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score higher on history.
Where Westfield beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Westfield | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.6% | 9.6% |
Miller-Cory House
Census counts: 2,152 in 1810, a low of 1,577 in 1850, 31,032 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1777 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Westfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw22 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw20 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw22 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumMadison 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westfield, 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 Westfield.
Westfield has less tooth loss than most of New Jersey and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Jersey.
At 13.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $1.3M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Mountainside is next at $1.05M.
Westfield’s median rent is $2,357 a month. Typical home values rose 10% in the year to September 2026. 81% of Westfield households own their home.
| Westfield | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,357 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.3M.
Its public schools are run by the Westfield Public School District. Three of its 28 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Edison Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 800 | A |
| Westfield Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,776 | A |
| Roosevelt Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 638 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New Jersey is tooth loss: 3.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.6% statewide.
15% of adults get no exercise outside work in Westfield. Westfield beats the New Jersey average on 23 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 7% of adults smoke cigarettes in Westfield.
| Westfield | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Westfield | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.6% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7.1 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail density in Westfield is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Brightwood Park, at 30 acres.
| Westfield | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mindowaskin Park | 1 mi | 13 |
| 2. Brightwood Park | 0.7 mi | 30 |
| 3. Tamaques Park | 0.7 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 269 to 174 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
34.3% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Westfield for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Westfield fell to 8,430 in 2023, 804 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are New York (16%), Newark (4%) and Jersey City (3%).
| Westfield | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 34% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $233,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 45 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Westfield has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
26 within 15 miles of the center of Westfield
About 4 of every 100 Westfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Where Westfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Westfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
32 notable people were born in Westfield.
Town in Union County, New Jersey, US
Westfield is a town in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located within the heart of the Rahway Valley region, Westfield is a bustling commercial and cultural hub in northern–central New Jersey, and it is a wealthy bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area (located 16 miles (26 km) southwest of New York City). In March 2018, Bloomberg ranked Westfield as the 99th highest-income place in the United States, and the 18th highest-income location in New Jersey. According to a 2014 nationwide survey, Westfield was ranked as the 30th-safest city to live in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 31,032, an increa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Westfield.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield | #14 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Mountainside | #5 | A+ | D− | A | A+ | A+ |
| Scotch Plains Township | #72 | A | D | A− | A− | A+ |
| Garwood | #135 | A− | D | A | B | A |
| Cranford Township | #55 | A | D | A− | A− | A+ |
| Springfield Township | #177 | A− | D | B+ | B | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Westfield grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #14 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A 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.
32 notable people were born here, including Virginia Apgar and Charles Addams.
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