Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wharton's standout: 18% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades B−, ranked 284th of 466 in New Jersey. It is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $487K for a typical one and 4.9 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Wharton’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile, against 0.7 in New Jersey’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. St. Mary’s Church Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Wharton beats most towns.
6,522 counted in 2010 and 7,241 in 2020; an estimated 7,618 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.3% since 2020, after 11% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Wharton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 775 in 1890, 7,241 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wharton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw33 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw32 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw33 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw32 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 Wharton, 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 Wharton.
Wharton is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Jersey.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hugh Force Canal Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
| 2. Waterworks Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 3. East Sterling Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Wharton Borough School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie V. Duffy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 434 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Wharton for work: only 6% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Wharton, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Wharton’s average trip to work is 32 minutes.
| Wharton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wharton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 77% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
Wharton beats the New Jersey average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 15% of Wharton adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Wharton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Wharton | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 7.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.6% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Wharton has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Wharton is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
59% of households own their home in Wharton. The typical Wharton home is worth about $487,000, up 0.9% in a year, 15% below the New Jersey typical home.
| Wharton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,720 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Wharton
About 5 of every 100 Wharton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
17.5% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, US
Wharton is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,241, an increase of 719 (+11.0%) from the 2010 census count of 6,522, which in turn reflected an increase of 224 (+3.6%) from the 6,298 counted in the 2000 census. Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough Port Oram by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, created from portions of Randolph Township and Rockaway Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on the previous day; the name was changed to Wharton on April 16, 1902, based on a referendum held that day and subject to legislation passed on March 27, 1902. The…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wharton.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton | #284 | B− | D | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Mine Hill Township | #172 | A− | D | — | B | A |
| Rockaway Township | #162 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Dover | #400 | C− | D | B+ | D | B− |
| Roxbury Township | #157 | A− | D | A− | B− | A |
| Mount Hope | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Mine Hill Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Mount Hope isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wharton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wharton grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #284 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades B+ 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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