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Edgewater NJ is one of the ten safest places to live in the USA, according to a survey

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When you completely change your life and move to another city, you always have to consider a number of factors: Can I afford it? What's the nightlife and restaurants like? Will I be able to make new friends?

The checklist seems endless, but at the top is probably one of the most important points: safety.

It may or may not have been a secret that Edgewater, a neighborhood overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline, saw a 26% population increase over the past decade, according to U.S. Census data, but it is also considered one of the safest places to live in the U.S.

Bergen County made it into the top 10 safest suburbs of large U.S. cities in the 2024 SmartAsset survey. The survey included 360 locations within a 15- to 45-minute drive of 100 of the largest U.S. cities. The suburb must also have a population of over 5,000.

The financial advisory website then analyzed these suburbs based on several safety indicators: violent crime rates, property crime rates, auto death rates, drug poisoning rates, and the percentage of the population that drinks excessively. SmartAsset then measured the monthly housing costs and median household income of the top 35 suburbs to reach its conclusions.

Edgewater, which has 3.5 miles of waterfront and is a short ferry, bus or train ride from New York City, ranks 10th on the list. The average monthly housing cost is $2,730, and the average annual household income is $136,806, according to SmartAsset. But it was the low crime rates that set Edgewater apart.

How does the crime rate in Edgewater compare to the rest of New Jersey?

The county reported eight violent crimes in 2022, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, which SmartAsset used to determine its findings. The website measured the data per capita, generally accounting for population numbers. That equates to 0.00118 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, SmartAsset reported.

According to SmartAsset, Edgewater has a reported property crime rate of 0.01480 per 100,000 residents.

Edgewater's numbers differ sharply from those of the country, as data compiled by the government shows: In 2022, the FBI reported 380.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents and a total of 1,954.4 property crimes per 100,000 residents in the United States. In New Jersey, there were 202.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents and 1,416.7 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

Drug overdose, motor vehicle rates in Edgewater

According to SmartAsset, Edgewater had 4.36 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents. The suburb with the highest number of traffic fatalities was Lumberton, North Carolina, with 39.5 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents, the data shows.

The study also found that Edgewater had fewer drug overdose deaths — 19 per 100,000 residents. The number of adults in the county who drank alcohol to excess was about 16%, according to the data.

Safest Suburbs in New Jersey

Three other New Jersey suburbs met the criteria, two in North Jersey and one in South Jersey. The least safe suburb ranks 360th, with safety increasing as the number of ranks decreases:

  • #17: Fort Lee (Bergen County)
  • 34th place: Hoboken (Hudson County)
  • #291: Williamstown (unincorporated community in Monroe Township, Gloucester County)

In 2022, Edgewater's population was 14,394, up from just over 11,400 in 2012. According to U.S. Census data, the community has experienced strong population growth among 25- to 34-year-olds since 2012.

Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.

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