Highlands is a very small coastal borough (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 4,329 people and two associated neighborhoods, Highlands is the 331st largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Highlands are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Highlands, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

Of important note, Highlands is also a borough of artists. Highlands has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Highlands’s character.

Also of interest is that Highlands has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 22.79% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Highlands is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Highlands is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

In Highlands, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 35.80 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Even though Highlands is a smaller borough, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly a ferryboat for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

If knowledge is power, Highlands is a pretty powerful place. 53.68% of the adults in Highlands have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Highlands in 2022 was $73,460, which is upper middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $293,840 for a family of four. However, Highlands contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Highlands is a somewhat ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call Highlands home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Highlands residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include Italian, Irish, German, English, and French.

The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.