Borough · Somerset County, New Jersey

Watchung, New Jersey

Watchung is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 6,485 residents. Watchung, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 92 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,288 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #143 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on injury deaths (low), food environment index (high) and average weekly wage (high). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), job growth (low) and effective property tax rate (high).

92Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,288 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #143 of 552 in NJ
Population: 6,485 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,078.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3477600

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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
Economy92#1,265/15,631
Housing6#14,153/14,977
Health99#194/15,609
Healthcare95#723/15,650
Environment51#7,609/15,453
Education96#691/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,795/15,650
Community92#1,255/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,988/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Watchung, 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
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
Poverty rate · low1.2%
98/100New Jersey 9.2%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Premature death · low4,162 /100k
98/100New Jersey 6,017 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Median household income · high$173,672
98/100New Jersey $104,202United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high33.6 min
7/100New 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 · high1.81%
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
Home price to income ratio · high5.1×
18/100New Jersey 4.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent-burdened households · high62.2%
20/100New 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
6,039 (2015-2019) → 6,485 (2020-2024)
+7.4%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.2 /1k (2021) → 0.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−93%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeImproving
44.3% (2015-2019) → 33.6% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
58.5% (2015-2019) → 64.0% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.3× (2015-2019) → 5.1× (2020-2024)
+18%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Average commute timeImproving
41.0 min (2015-2019) → 33.6 min (2020-2024)
−18%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Watchung, New Jersey improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+0.8×4.3× → 5.1×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Watchung, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	41.0 min2015-2019	33.6 min2020-2024	−7.3 min	Within the margin of error	96%
Bachelor's degree or higher	58.5%2015-2019	64.0%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Broadband subscriptions	90.3%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Effective property tax rate	1.77%2015-2019	1.81%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	98.7%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	31%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4422015-2019	0.4572020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$157,2632015-2019	$173,6722020-2024	+10%	Within the margin of error	17%
Public transit commuters	8.9%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Rent as share of income	44.3%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	−11 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Rent-burdened households	59.1%2015-2019	62.2%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%

“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 Watchung, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Watchung, 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, Watchung, New Jersey itself moved −4.2 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

6,485 residents (±27)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

2,357 households (±168)

Watchung, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k6.6%†156
$25k–50k5.3%†126
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,357 households (±168)

Watchung, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own84%1,982
Rent16%†375

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,194 workers (±339)

Watchung, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone60%1,930
Carpool3.3%†106
Public transit7.8%†249

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 Watchung'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 $1.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Watchung, New Jersey: $273 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.8M; +2,055% vs FY2025
Per resident: $273; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$1.8M100%

Top recipients

ZEROMARK, INC.$1.8M100%

Spending by fiscal year

52.9KFY2017
96.4KFY2018
49.9KFY2020
488.6KFY2021
130.1KFY2022
-60.2KFY2024
82.2KFY2025
1.8MFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$1.8M100%

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

SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH, DIRECT TO PHASE II TOPIC A254-P026, XTECHPACIFIC OPEN TOPIC$1.9M
ZEROMARK, INC.· Somerset County, NJ· Research & development· Mar 9, 2026 – May 6, 2026· W5170126CA046

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

Watchung, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Somerset County, NJ ($452.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

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

Watchung, 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
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

JSON · /api/v1/places/3477600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends