Watchung is a borough of 8,480 in Somerset County, about 25 miles west of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Watchung?
Watchung earns an A- for property crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 54% of Americans live. Theft makes up 88% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A-
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 842 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
54% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Watchung as a whole, and 46% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Watchung scores 842.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Watchung, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Watchung, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Watchung
Theft at more than double the US rate. Watchung has 31.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Property crime rates and types in Watchung
CrimeGrade™ estimates Watchung has about 36 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 53% more than the US as a whole and about double the rate for New Jersey.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Watchung, about 88% of the total, followed by vandalism and burglary.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Watchung and nearby cities
Watchung has more property crime than 8 of its 10 nearest cities. Warren and Millington have the least property crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Watchung. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Watchung has more property crime than 89% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Watchung apart: it has 22.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 103 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.22.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 98% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.103 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 96% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 78% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (22 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 66% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 85% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.6% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 71% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Watchung: D- (6 of 100).4 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 65% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Watchung
Property crime costs Watchung about $1.8 million a year, or $206 per resident and about $576 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$110,000
$14
Theft
$1.4 million
$164
Vehicle theft
$130,000
$16
Arson
$5,200
$1
Vandalism
$110,000
$13
Total
$1.8 million
$206
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
