Real estate website Niche.com has rated Fanwood an overall grade of A+ in 2026 evaluation of Best Places to Live. Fanwood finished #1 in Union County and #5 in New Jersey, #3 in Best Places to Retire, #3 Best Suburbs to Live, and #4 Best Suburbs to Raise a Family.
Fanwood is described in the report as a suburb of New York City offering residents a “sparse suburban feel” with a lot of restaurants and parks and “highly rated schools.”
Here’s How Niche graded Fanwood in the 12 categories of its system. Here’s Niche’s full report on Fanwood.
- Public Schools: A
- Housing: A-
- Good for Families: A+
- Jobs: A-
- Cost of Living: B-
- Outdoor Activities: A
- Crime & Safety: A
- Nightlife: B+
- Diversity: B
- Weather: B-
- Health & Fitness: A+
- Commute: B
The top 10 towns in Union County, according to Niche, are:
- Fanwood
- New Providence
- Summit
- Westfield
- Berkeley Heights
- Cranford
- Mountainside
- Springfield
- Scotch Plains
- Garwood
The top 10 towns in New Jersey, according to Niche, are:
- Princeton Junction
- Harrington Park
- Princeton
- Mountain Lakes
- Fanwood
- Hoboken
- Glen Ridge
- Ridgewood
- Haworth
- Metuchen
Niches creates the annual Best Places to Live rankings using data from sources such as Department of Education, U.S. Census, and the FBI, combined by surveys of millions of people living in neighborhoods across the U.S., the search platform announced.
