Census-designated place · Morris County, New Jersey

Towaco, New Jersey

Towaco is a census-designated place in Morris County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 5,612 residents. Towaco, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 98 out of 100 (very high), ranking #336 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #23 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on adult obesity (low), violent crime rate (low) and traffic deaths (low). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), effective property tax rate (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (high).

98Very high

Quality-of-life score: #336 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #23 of 552 in NJ
Population: 5,612 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 935.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 3473170

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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#16/15,637
Economy97#486/15,631
Housing14#12,926/14,977
Health100#41/15,609
Healthcare96#590/15,650
Environment59#6,335/15,453
Education100#2/15,649
Infrastructure90#1,609/15,650
Community99#128/15,651
Leisure & amenities84#2,498/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Adult obesity · low20.2%
99/100New Jersey 29.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Violent crime rate · low33 /100k
99/100New Jersey 194 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMorris County value
Traffic deaths · low4.0 /100k
99/100New Jersey 6.9 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataMorris County value
Premature death · low3,732 /100k
99/100New Jersey 6,017 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMorris County value
Poor or fair health · low9.6%
99/100New Jersey 15.8%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · low12.9%
98/100New Jersey 16.1%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high35.8 min
6/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · high1.99%
8/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.483
18/100New Jersey 0.478United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent as share of income · high41.8%
20/100New Jersey 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Drought exposure · high70%
23/100New Jersey 61%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMorris County value
Rent-burdened households · high62.9%
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
5,244 (2016-2020) → 5,612 (2020-2024)
+7%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$91,063 (2016-2020) → $205,636 (2020-2024)
+126%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
46.7% (2016-2020) → 62.9% (2020-2024)
+16 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.6% (2016-2020) → 41.8% (2020-2024)
+12 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
65.1% (2016-2020) → 73.3% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.9% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioImproving
5.3× (2016-2020) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
−36%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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.

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

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Towaco, 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 Towaco, 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

5,612 residents (±625)

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

5,612 residents (±625)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White75%4,200
Black1.9%†106
Hispanic or Latino9.6%†537

Education

3,989 residents (±547)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma2.0%†81
High school or GED17%†666
Some college5.8%†231

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

2,052 households (±374)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k0.4%†9
$25k–50k9.4%†192
$50k–75k17%†342
$75k–100k6.5%†133
$100k–150k9.0%†185
$150k–200k7.2%†147
$200k or more51%1,044

† 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

2,052 households (±374)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own93%1,909
Rent7.0%†143

† 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

105 households (±61)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50011%†12

Home values

1,909 homes (±378)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k3.0%†57
$150k–250k1.1%†21
$250k–400k4.6%†87

Age of homes

2,052 homes (±374)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later2.1%†44
2000–20096.8%†139
1980–199930%622

Size of homes

2,052 homes (±374)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.8%†36
2 bedrooms7.9%†163

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

2,838 workers (±463)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone65%1,854
Carpool2.8%†80
Public transit6.4%†181
Walk0.0%†1
Bike0.0%0
Work from home25%†710
Other0.4%†12

† 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

2,128 workers (±378)

Towaco, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min12%†247
15–29 min37%795
30–44 min21%†439

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 Morris County, the county holding most of Towaco's residents.

Morris County has 16,518 employer establishments, 320 for every 10,000 residents (1.29× the US rate of 248; 1.26× New Jersey's), with 301,249 paid employees at an average annual pay of $98,917. The Census Bureau also counts 52,973 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 16,518; 52,973 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 320; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 301,249
Average annual pay: $98,917; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,376	26.6	1.28×More than typical	16,926	$92,226	2,934
Restaurants and other eating places	1,142	22.1	1.20×About typical	16,094	$27,250	234
Specialty trade contractors	1,075	20.8	1.34×More than typical	9,600	$89,396	2,498
Services to buildings and dwellings	742	14.4	2.13×More than typical	8,913	$40,750	1,944
Lessors of real estate	622	12	0.98×About typical	4,234	$123,247	7,829
Construction of buildings	526	10.2	1.35×More than typical	2,390	$78,648	1,179
Full-service restaurants	517	10	1.30×More than typical	8,976	$30,772	96
Management, scientific and technical consulting	512	9.9	1.48×More than typical	7,866	$157,754	3,264
Building equipment contractors	509	9.8	1.64×More than typical	4,821	$87,965	535
Personal care services	484	9.4	1.96×More than typical	2,942	$27,386	793
Landscaping services	481	9.3	2.66×More than typical	2,587	$60,749	526
Computer systems design and related services	467	9	2.09×More than typical	4,373	$111,965	1,047

Rank places for an industry Open Morris County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 516,902 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 $365.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Towaco, New Jersey: $65.18 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $365.8K; −23% vs FY2025
Per resident: $65.18; US $1,994
Sole-source: 80%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; 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

TELEDYNAMICS, L.L.C.$291.9K80%
RTI ELECTRONICS INC$78.9K22%
DIVERSIFIED HEAT TRANSFER, INC-$4,9800.0%

Spending by fiscal year

252.5KFY2017
77.6KFY2018
64.3KFY2019
260.7KFY2020
346.5KFY2021
181.3KFY2022
25.3KFY2023
59.8K

Top industries (NAICS)

Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$291.9K80%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$50.9K14%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$28.1K7.7%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Towaco, New Jersey

REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING POWER SUPPLY UNITS WITH 2 EXTRA AS BACKUP.$296.6K
TELEDYNAMICS, L.L.C.· Morris County, NJ· Construction & real property· Jul 22, 2026 – Jul 22, 2026· 75N99026P00024
REPLACE TUBE BUNDLES$295.7K
DIVERSIFIED HEAT TRANSFER, INC· Morris County, NJ· Other equipment & supplies· May 2, 2025 – Oct 7, 2025· 36C24225P0841
RTI MULTI X-RAY METER$32.7K
RTI ELECTRONICS INC· Morris County, NJ· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 10, 2025 – Dec 10, 2025· 36C24626N0343
MAKO R/F AND MAKO MAS MODULE

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

Towaco, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Morris County, NJ ($705.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Morris 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.

Towaco, 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.

Morris County96100% 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 Morris 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/3473170

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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