Colts Neck/Marlboro 27th, 34th Safest Towns in N.J., FBI Data Shows

Marlboro, NJ - Colts Neck and Marlboro townships are the 27th and 34th safest places to live in New Jersey, according to a new survey by Creditdonkey.com.

But what’s the #1 safest town? That would go to Washington Township in Morris County, with the lowest property crime rate of any town in the study. Only 33 property crimes were reported there in 2014, including seven burglaries. To compare, Colts Neck had 59 property crimes in 2014, and Marlboro had 263. Property crimes include burglary and larceny, but also shoplifting, car break-ins and vandalism.

The survey only focused on New Jersey towns with with a population of 10,000 residents or more. They evaluated 2014 FBI Crime Report data, and the four key indicators they used were: Number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents; number of robberies per 1,000 residents; number of property crimes per 1,000 residents and the number of burglaries per 1,000 residents.

#27: Colts Neck Township:

• Violent crime per 1,000 residents: 0.3
• Robberies per 1,000 residents: 0.0
• Property crime per 1,000 residents: 5.9
• Burglaries per 1,000 residents: 1.1

Writes CreditDonkey: Roughly 48 miles from both Trenton and New York City, Colts Neck has established itself as an optimal location for commuting professionals who travel in either direction. Home values are among some of the highest in our rankings, but residents are well-equipped to cope, earning a median annual income of $134,000. Homeowners have little to fear in the way of crime, with only 11 burglaries reported in 2014.

#34: Marlboro Township:

• Violent crime per 1,000: 0.3
• Robbery per 1,000: 0.0
• Property crime per 1,000: 6.5
• Burglary per 1,000: 1.0

CreditDonkey writes: With a population of over 40,000, Marlboro Township is one of the largest cities in our rankings. That doesn’t mean, however, that it suffers from big-city crime rates. The Marlboro Township Police Department facilitates several programs designed to keep crime down, including the Explorer Program, which connects teens and young adults with law enforcement in a mentoring setting.

Photo: Colts Neck town hall as seen from Cedar Lane/Wikimedia Commons