Five New Jersey Suburbs Land in Top 50 Wealthiest, With Westfield at No. 30

Q: Why did one historic New Jersey town suddenly break into the nation's top 50 wealthiest suburbs for the very first time this year?

Princeton broke into the top 50 because MoneyLion’s 2026 ranking is driven mainly by average household income, and Princeton met the study’s threshold strongly enough this year while also posting a seven-figure housing market. The historic Mercer County town ranked No. 47 with an average household income of $275,137 and an average home value of $1,057,480. That was enough to place it among the 50 highest-income suburbs nationally under MoneyLion’s methodology, which used 2024 American Community Survey data and April 2026 Zillow home values for suburbs with at least 5,000 households in a metro area. Its debut was also helped by the kinds of traits experts say sustain affluent-suburb rankings: limited housing supply, strong schools, and commuter access. Princeton has the draw of Princeton University, a highly regarded downtown, and NJ Transit service via the “Dinky,” which links the campus area to the Northeast Corridor. Those features support demand and keep property values elevated. Notably, Princeton was one of only five new entrants nationwide in the 2026 lineup. Its home values rose 3.2% year over year, even though its average household income dipped 1.3%, suggesting the town’s wealth profile remained strong enough relative to competing suburbs to finally crack the list. So the “sudden” breakthrough was less about one single event than about Princeton’s income level, million-dollar housing market, and the ranking formula aligning in its favor this year.

3 articles · Updated · New Jersey 101.5 FM · Aug 20

Five New Jersey suburbs made MoneyLion’s top 50 U.S. wealthiest list, led by Westfield at No. 30 with average household income of $306,899.
MoneyLion based the ranking on 2024 American Community Survey income data and Zillow’s April 2026 home values, limiting the study to metro-area cities with at least 5,000 households.
Summit ranked No. 32 at $306,473 in average household income, followed by Tenafly at No. 33 with $306,119; all three also had average home values above $1.3 million.
Princeton placed No. 47 with income of $275,137 and Ridgewood No. 48 at $273,185, giving New Jersey five entries tied to the New York-Newark-Jersey City and Trenton-Princeton metro areas.
Nationally, Scarsdale, New York topped the list, ahead of West University Place, Texas and Rye, New York.