New Jersey’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our State of Safety survey, New Jersey residents told us they're feeling less worried about crime. They were less likely to report having personally experienced a crime this year, so it makes sense that they'd feel more relaxed in response. However, their level of concern is still higher than the national average across the board.

The violent crime rate in New Jersey is 2.64 incidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average of 4.43 and the seventh lowest violent crime rate nationwide. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, New Jersey reported a slightly higher violent crime rate of 2.8.

In contrast, property crime in The Garden State increased slightly in recent years, rising from 15.7  incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 15.88 incidents in this year's report. That's lower than the national property crime rate of 22.89 and the fifth lowest property crime rate nationwide.

New Jerseyans who took our State of Safety survey report a higher confidence level than the year before. About 56% say they feel safe in the state, up from 47%. That's higher than the national average of 52%.

Survey respondents from New Jersey reported year over year decreases in property crime and package theft experiences. Concern about these crimes fell simultaneously.

• 15% of New Jersey residents said they personally experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 21% the previous year (US 21%). That's the fourth lowest percentage in the nation.
• Concern about property crime fell from 64% to 48% year over year (US 46%).
• The percentage of New Jersey residents who reported a personal experience with package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey fell from 44% to 30% (US 31%).
• Concern about package theft fell from 59% to 53% year over year (US 44%).
• New Jersey residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (49%), and security systems (26%).
• 30% of New Jerseyans say they use no property protection at all. 

New Jerseyans saw a year-over-year decrease in first-hand violent crime experiences, and now they're no more likely to encounter violent crime than the average American. However, they still tend to worry about violent crime more than the national average. 

• 12% of New Jersey residents said they personally experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 15% the year before (US 12%).
• The percentage of New Jerseyans who worry about violent crime on a daily basis decreased slightly from 64% to 63% year over year (US 55%).
• 21% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection.
• New Jersey residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (67%), pocket knives (52%), stun guns (24%), and self defense keychains (14%). 

• The percentage of New Jerseyans who told us they personally experienced gun violence in the 12 months before our survey fell from 12% to 10% year over year (US 9%).
• Concern about gun violence fell from 69% to 66% year over year (US 55%).
• New Jerseyans reported the sixth highest level of concern about gun violence. 
• New Jersey experienced 6 mass shooting incidents in 2025, up from 3 in 2024.
• Only 10% of New Jerseyans say they carry a gun for personal protection (US 45%).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 151 cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Vernon Township is the safest city in New Jersey for the third year in a row. 
• Bernards Township held on to the #2 spot for the third year in a row. 
• Property crime has fallen each year for the last two years in South River, resulting in an 84% decrease.
• Property crime has also fallen each year for the last two years in Barnegat Township, resulting in an 81% decrease.
• 5 cities saw year over year decreases in violent crime: Vernon Township, South River, Barnegat Township, Dumont, and Hopatcong. 
• No murders were reported in the 10 safest cities.
• 80% of New Jersey's safest cities reported zero rapes, and 60% reported no robberies.
• Barnegat Township reported no motor vehicle thefts.

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
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• Essential Home Security Systems Guide for 2026