Census-designated place · Somerset County, New Jersey

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey

Blackwells Mills is a census-designated place in Somerset County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 10,301 residents. Blackwells Mills, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #616 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #60 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on median household income (high), poor or fair health (low) and frequent mental distress (low). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), job growth (low) and effective property tax rate (high).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #616 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #60 of 552 in NJ
Population: 10,301 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 1,341.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3406025

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety99#178/15,637
Economy98#255/15,631
Housing25#11,259/14,977
Health100#76/15,609
Healthcare96#639/15,650
Environment51#7,609/15,453
Education99#100/15,649
Infrastructure81#3,040/15,650
Community93#1,068/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,988/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Blackwells Mills, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Somerset County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Median household income · high$250,001
100/100New Jersey $104,202United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Poor or fair health · low9.4%
99/100New Jersey 15.8%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · low12.5%
99/100New Jersey 16.1%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Injury deaths · low43 /100k
99/100New Jersey 65 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Depression · low14.5%
99/100New Jersey 15.6%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.4%
99/100New Jersey 9.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high33.9 min
6/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Job growth · low-2.8%
7/100New Jersey 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSomerset County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.84%
11/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Drought exposure · high75%
17/100New Jersey 61%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASomerset County value
Rent as share of income · high24.8%
23/100New Jersey 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071High uncertainty
Comfortable days · low24.2%
30/100New Jersey 24.9%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSomerset County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
684 (2015-2019) → 10,301 (2020-2024)
+1,406%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
100.0% (2015-2019) → 49.3% (2020-2024)
−51 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
93.0% (2015-2019) → 76.2% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
14.6% (2016-2020) → 24.8% (2020-2024)
+10 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%
Average commute timeImproving
52.1 min (2015-2019) → 33.9 min (2020-2024)
−35%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Median household incomeImproving
$196,406 (2015-2019) → $250,001 (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Blackwells Mills, New Jersey improved on 1 of 5 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 3 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+27%$196,406 → $250,001

Declined1

Bachelor's+−17 points93.0% → 76.2%

All 5 measures

Change of every measure of Blackwells Mills, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	93.0%2015-2019	76.2%2020-2024	−17 points	Declined	0%
Broadband subscriptions	100.0%2015-2019	99.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	8%
High school diploma or higher	99.3%2015-2019	96.6%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3542015-2019	0.3402020-2024	−0.014	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$196,4062015-2019	$250,0012020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Blackwells Mills, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Blackwells Mills, New Jersey in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Blackwells Mills, New Jersey five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Blackwells Mills, New Jersey itself moved −3.4 points in standing on average over the same 5 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

10,301 residents (±972)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−19.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

10,301 residents (±972)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White54%5,537
Black4.4%†456
Hispanic or Latino5.5%†565

Education

6,577 residents (±606)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma3.4%†224
High school or GED7.6%†500
Some college9.3%

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,078 households (±257)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k2.6%†79
$25k–50k0.3%†8
$50k–75k2.2%†68
$75k–100k7.8%†240
$100k–150k9.3%†287
$150k–200k11%†346
$200k or more67%2,050

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+7.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,078 households (±257)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own95%2,928
Rent4.9%†150

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

150 households (±112)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50017%†26

Home values

2,928 homes (±252)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k0.4%†13
$150k–250k1.3%†37
$250k–400k3.4%†

Age of homes

3,078 homes (±257)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later7.0%†217
2000–200911%†335
1980–199951%1,565

Size of homes

3,078 homes (±257)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio0.6%†19
1 bedroom3.8%†116
2 bedrooms1.1%†35

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,102 workers (±513)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone64%3,281
Carpool3.9%†200
Public transit1.1%†55
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home30%1,526
Other0.8%†40

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+23.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,576 workers (±478)

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min12%†429
15–29 min35%1,235
30–44 min23%823

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Somerset County, the county holding most of Blackwells Mills's residents.

Somerset County has 9,831 employer establishments, 280 for every 10,000 residents (1.13× the US rate of 248; 1.11× New Jersey's), with 188,127 paid employees at an average annual pay of $96,436. The Census Bureau also counts 34,553 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,831; 34,553 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 280; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 188,127
Average annual pay: $96,436; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Somerset County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	964	27.5	1.32×More than typical	10,362	$68,912	1,812
Restaurants and other eating places	668	19	1.04×About typical	9,083	$27,363	182
Computer systems design and related services	531	15.1	3.49×More than typical	6,395	$119,586	847
Specialty trade contractors	517	14.7	0.95×About typical	3,604	$84,195	1,332
Services to buildings and dwellings	418	11.9	1.77×More than typical	5,429	$37,561	1,381
Management, scientific and technical consulting	391	11.1	1.66×More than typical	6,065	$91,543	2,393
Offices of physicians	327	9.3	1.44×More than typical	4,271	$89,572	461
Lessors of real estate	323	9.2	0.75×Fewer than typical	1,707	$80,714	4,806
Personal care services	321	9.1	1.92×More than typical	1,962	$26,351	521
Full-service restaurants	295	8.4	1.09×About typical	4,659	$33,109	73
Limited-service restaurants	285	8.1	1.01×About typical	3,374	$22,029	76
Landscaping services	283	8.1	2.30×More than typical	1,358	$64,327	364

Rank places for an industry Open Somerset County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 351,042 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $2.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Blackwells Mills, New Jersey: $262 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $2.7M; −56% vs FY2025
Per resident: $262; US $1,995
Sole-source: 39%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$1.5M57%
Department of Veterans Affairs$995.7K37%
Department of the Navy$79.1K2.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$20.8K0.8%
Department of the Army$18.1K0.7%
Social Security Administration$14.3K0.5%
Food Safety and Inspection Service$13.4K0.5%
Transportation Security Administration$12.8K0.5%

Top recipients

TABATCHNICK FINE FOODS INC$1.5M57%
OTICON, INC$861.1K32%
SHI INTERNATIONAL CORP$94.5K3.5%
VISION RT INC$63.7K2.4%
EVERAS COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC.$55.9K2.1%

Spending by fiscal year

6.9MFY2017
4.1MFY2018
3.9MFY2019
2.8MFY2020
3.7MFY2021
3.2MFY2022
18.1MFY2023
6.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$1.5M57%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$868.4K32%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$86.7K3.2%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$66K2.4%
Business support services · 5614$55.9K2.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Blackwells Mills, New Jersey, so they do not add up across cities.

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Somerset County, NJ ($452.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.6% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Blackwells Mills is mostly in Somerset County.

See federal money in Somerset County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Blackwells Mills, New Jersey is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Somerset County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ69

Other cities and towns in Somerset County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3406025

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends