Metuchen is a medium-sized borough located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 14,977 people and five associated neighborhoods, Metuchen is the 129th largest community in New Jersey. Housing costs in Metuchen 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.Metuchen is a decidedly white-collar borough, with fully 91.93% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Metuchen is a borough of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Metuchen who work in management occupations (20.23%), teaching (12.77%), and office and administrative support (9.28%). Also of interest is that Metuchen has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, Metuchen is also a borough of artists. Metuchen has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Metuchen’s character. A relatively large number of people in Metuchen telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 20.19% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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, Metuchen is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums. Because of many things, Metuchen is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Metuchen a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The borough’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Metuchen has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Metuchen’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country. One downside of living in Metuchen, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 34.66 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead. Even though Metuchen is a smaller borough, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the train for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.If knowledge is power, Metuchen is a pretty powerful place. 63.71% of the adults in Metuchen 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 Metuchen in 2022 was $67,457, 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 $269,828 for a family of four. Metuchen is an extremely ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call Metuchen home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Metuchen residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Metuchen include Italian, Irish, German, Polish, and English. Foreign born people are also an important part of Metuchen's cultural character, accounting for 16.15% of the borough’s population. The most common language spoken in Metuchen is English. Other important languages spoken here include Langs. of India and Spanish.
