Census-designated place · Somerset County, New Jersey

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey

Bridgewater Center is a census-designated place in Somerset County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 6,505 residents. Bridgewater Center, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 95 out of 100 (very high), ranking #850 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #103 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on injury deaths (low), median household income (high) and food environment index (high). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), job growth (low) and average commute time (high).

95Very high

Quality-of-life score: #850 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #103 of 552 in NJ
Population: 6,505 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,115.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3407728

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
Economy99#139/15,631
Housing9#13,676/14,977
Health98#262/15,609
Healthcare96#673/15,650
Environment51#7,609/15,453
Education100#25/15,649
Infrastructure81#3,011/15,650
Community93#1,068/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,988/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bridgewater Center, 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

Injury deaths · low43 /100k
99/100New Jersey 65 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Median household income · high$205,595
99/100New Jersey $104,202United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Food environment index · high9.6
98/100New Jersey 9.3United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Average weekly wage · high$2,173
98/100New Jersey $1,659United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSomerset County value
Premature death · low4,162 /100k
98/100New Jersey 6,017 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.8%
97/100New Jersey 9.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100New Jersey 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Job growth · low-2.8%
7/100New Jersey 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSomerset County value
Average commute time · high28.4 min
12/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · high1.71%
14/100New 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-burdened households · high70.1%
26/100New Jersey 51.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,386 (2016-2020) → 6,505 (2020-2024)
+21%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
100.0% (2016-2020) → 70.1% (2020-2024)
−30 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$166,538 (2016-2020) → $205,595 (2020-2024)
+23%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
64.2% (2016-2020) → 60.7% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.9% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateImproving
4.2% (2016-2020) → 3.1% (2020-2024)
−1.1 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%

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.

There is not enough history to compare Bridgewater Center, New Jersey over five years.

Cities and towns like Bridgewater Center, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bridgewater Center, 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 Bridgewater Center, New Jersey five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

6,505 residents (±732)

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

† 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

6,505 residents (±732)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White70%4,577
Black5.6%†365
Hispanic or Latino5.6%†363

Education

4,150 residents (±444)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma3.1%†127
High school or GED17%†707
Some college12%†489

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

1,926 households (±217)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k4.1%†78
$25k–50k9.0%†174
$50k–75k2.6%†50
$75k–100k7.5%†144
$100k–150k11%†205
$150k–200k15%285
$200k or more51%990

† 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

1,926 households (±217)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own89%1,715
Rent11%†211

† 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

211 households (±135)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $75014%†30
$750–1,0004.7%†10
$1,000–1,5004.7%†10

Home values

1,715 homes (±167)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k0.4%†7
$150k–250k0.6%†10
$250k–400k1.5%†25

Age of homes

2,004 homes (±199)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later0.8%†16
2000–20096.6%†132
1980–199920%405

Size of homes

2,004 homes (±199)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.7%†75
2 bedrooms5.4%†109

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

3,139 workers (±365)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone69%2,170
Carpool3.6%†113
Public transit2.2%†69
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home25%777
Other0.3%†10

† 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

2,362 workers (±360)

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min19%458
15–29 min38%891
30–44 min26%616
45–59 min

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 Bridgewater Center'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 $3.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bridgewater Center, New Jersey: $512 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3.3M; −43% vs FY2025
Per resident: $512; US $1,994
Sole-source: 29%; US 30%
Single offer: 30%; 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

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency$1.3M38%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1.2M37%
Department of the Army$402.8K12%
Defense Logistics Agency$159.1K4.8%
United States Mint$150.4K4.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$99.5K3.0%
National Institutes of Health$89K2.7%
Office of Procurement Operations$72.8K2.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

49.3MFY2017
-2.5MFY2018
3.8MFY2019
895.2KFY2020
3.7MFY2021
5.2MFY2022
6.9MFY2023
7.8MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$1.5M45%
Insurance carriers · 5241$933K28%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$366.1K11%
Other telecommunications · 5179$99.5K3.0%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$97.5K2.9%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Bridgewater Center, New Jersey, so they do not add up across cities.

Bridgewater Center, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Somerset County, NJ ($452.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bridgewater Center 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.

Bridgewater Center, 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-NJ68

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/3407728

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Bridgewater Center, New Jersey five years ago that improved