Westfield is a medium-sized town located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 30,539 people and five associated neighborhoods, Westfield is the 56th largest community in New Jersey. Much of the housing stock in Westfield was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Westfield home prices are not only among the most expensive in New Jersey, but Westfield real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Also of interest is that Westfield has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
A relatively large number of people in Westfield telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 29.29% 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, Westfield 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, Westfield is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Westfield 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 town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Westfield has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Westfield’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
In Westfield, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 33.77 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. In addition, the town is also quite pedestrian-friendly, because many neighborhoods are very dense and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.
For the size of the town, public transportation in Westfield is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the train. For Westfield, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.
If knowledge is power, Westfield is a pretty powerful place. 77.28% of the adults in Westfield 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 Westfield in 2022 was $96,656, which is wealthy relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $386,624 for a family of four.
Westfield is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Westfield home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Westfield residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Westfield include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Westfield is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.