Town · Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Clinton, New Jersey

Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 2,789 residents. Clinton, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,124 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #129 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on food environment index (high), students per teacher (low) and life expectancy (high). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), time spent in the emergency room (high) and average commute time (high).

93Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,124 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #129 of 552 in NJ
Population: 2,789 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,071.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3413720

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety100#74/15,637
Economy97#513/15,631
Housing36#9,608/14,977
Health97#536/15,609
Healthcare78#3,394/15,650
Environment39#9,413/15,453
Education96#681/15,649
Infrastructure66#5,275/15,650
Community94#868/15,651
Leisure & amenities75#3,837/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clinton, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hunterdon 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

Food environment index · high9.9
99/100New Jersey 9.3United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHunterdon County value
Students per teacher · low9.7×
99/100New Jersey 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsHunterdon County value
Life expectancy · high83.4 yrs
98/100New Jersey 80.2 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHunterdon County value
New homes permitted · high32.6 /1k
98/100New Jersey 2.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Premature death · low4,213 /100k
98/100New Jersey 6,017 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHunterdon County value
Violent crime rate · low55 /100k
96/100New Jersey 194 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationHunterdon County value

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.73%
1/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Time spent in the emergency room · high230 min
8/100New Jersey 185 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHunterdon County value
Average commute time · high29.1 min
11/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Distance to an emergency room · high9.6 mi
17/100New Jersey 3.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHunterdon County value
Drought exposure · high75%
18/100New Jersey 61%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHunterdon County value
Job growth · low-1.5%
19/100New Jersey 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHunterdon County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
75.1 /1k (2021) → 32.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
88.4% (2015-2019) → 97.0% (2020-2024)
+8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$103,958 (2015-2019) → $141,146 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
55.2% (2015-2019) → 61.5% (2020-2024)
+6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Public transit commutersWorsening
5.6% (2015-2019) → 0.6% (2020-2024)
−4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
53.9% (2015-2019) → 49.7% (2020-2024)
−4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Clinton, New Jersey improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 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.

Improved2

Inequality−0.0550.450 → 0.394
Household income+36%$103,958 → $141,146

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Clinton, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.7 min2015-2019	29.1 min2020-2024	−2.7 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	55.2%2015-2019	61.5%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Broadband subscriptions	88.4%2015-2019	97.0%2020-2024	+8.6 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Effective property tax rate	2.93%2015-2019	2.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	57%
High school diploma or higher	96.6%2015-2019	92.5%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	91%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4502015-2019	0.3942020-2024	−0.055	Improved	86%
Median household income	$103,9582015-2019	$141,1462020-2024	+36%	Improved	67%
Rent as share of income	33.4%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent-burdened households	53.9%2015-2019	49.7%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%

“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 Clinton, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clinton, 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.

For comparison, Clinton, New Jersey itself moved +9.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

2,789 residents (±21)

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 (−4.9 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

2,789 residents (±21)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White75%2,078
Black0.4%†10
Hispanic or Latino13%†370
Asian7.2%†200
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.7%†131

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+3.9 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,902 residents (±118)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma7.5%†143
High school or GED15%†281
Some college11%†216
Associate degree4.9%†93
Bachelor's degree39%735
Graduate degree23%434

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−6.2 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,063 households (±87)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k4.8%†51
$25k–50k9.5%†101
$50k–75k8.5%†90
$75k–100k9.0%†96
$100k–150k22%†238
$150k–200k17%†184
$200k or more29%303

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.3 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 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

1,063 households (±87)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own70%746
Rent30%317

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

317 households (±67)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50025%†80

Home values

746 homes (±106)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k4.7%†35
$150k–250k2.5%†19
$250k–400k32%†236

Age of homes

1,089 homes (±90)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later8.4%†92
2000–20097.2%†78
1980–199932%345

Size of homes

1,089 homes (±90)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio0.3%†3
1 bedroom16%†174
2 bedrooms21%233

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

1,554 workers (±127)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone63%974
Carpool6.4%†100
Public transit0.6%†10
Walk3.0%†47
Bike2.3%†35
Work from home24%371
Other1.1%†17

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+17.0 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

1,183 workers (±141)

Clinton, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min35%411
15–29 min17%199
30–44 min18%†209

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 Hunterdon County, the county holding most of Clinton's residents.

Hunterdon County has 3,672 employer establishments, 282 for every 10,000 residents (1.13× the US rate of 248; 1.11× New Jersey's), with 45,700 paid employees at an average annual pay of $73,467. The Census Bureau also counts 13,155 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,672; 13,155 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 282; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 45,700
Average annual pay: $73,467; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	327	25.1	1.62×More than typical	2,828	$87,083	821
Ambulatory health care services	267	20.5	0.98×About typical	4,087	$65,492	626
Restaurants and other eating places	255	19.6	1.07×About typical	3,151	$23,407	52
Services to buildings and dwellings	213	16.3	2.42×More than typical	892	$46,333	501
Landscaping services	159	12.2	3.48×More than typical	615	$52,670	212
Building equipment contractors	145	11.1	1.85×More than typical	1,161	$79,567	161
Management, scientific and technical consulting	134	10.3	1.53×More than typical	628	$85,148	802
Full-service restaurants	129	9.9	1.29×More than typical	1,862	$25,643	22
Construction of buildings	121	9.3	1.23×About typical	859	$95,538	324
Personal care services	105	8.1	1.69×More than typical	615	$30,000	131
Lessors of real estate	94	7.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	437	$61,334	1,871
Limited-service restaurants	86	6.6	0.82×About typical	834	$21,959	24

Rank places for an industry Open Hunterdon County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 130,313 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clinton, New Jersey: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

-33.5KFY2017
13.8KFY2018
26KFY2019
14.8KFY2020
29.5KFY2021

What was bought

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 Clinton, New Jersey, so they do not add up across cities.

Clinton, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Hunterdon County, NJ ($4.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Hunterdon 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.

Clinton, New Jersey is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Thomas H. Kean, Jr.R-NJ-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 93%Missed 21.6%

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.

Hunterdon County92100% 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 Hunterdon 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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

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