New Jersey Water Quality Brief
State: New Jersey (NJ) Grade: F | Score: 58/100 | National Average: 67/100 (Grade: D) Data as of: 2026-04-30 | Brief generated: 2026-04-30
Key Findings
- New Jersey earned a water quality grade of F with an average score of 58/100 — 9 points below the national average.
- ZipCheckup recorded 3,591 total violations across 726 ZIP codes, including 352 health-based violations.
- The worst ZIP code in the state (07962) scored only 25/100, while the best (08062) scored 95/100 — a gap of 70 points.
Worst 5 ZIP Codes
| ZIP | City | County | Score | Grade | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07963 | Morristown | Morris | 25/100 | F | 5 |
| 07962 | Morristown | Morris | 25/100 | F | 5 |
| 07960 | Morristown | Morris | 27/100 | F | 5 |
| 08846 | Middlesex | Hunterdon | 30/100 | F | 0 |
| 08835 | Manville | Hunterdon | 30/100 | F | 0 |
County Breakdown (Worst 3)
| County | Avg Score | Grade | ZIP Count | Worst ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth | 44/100 | D | 50 | 08742 (Point Pleasant Beach, 30/100) |
| Warren | 46/100 | D | 21 | 07863 (Oxford, 34/100) |
| Hunterdon | 47/100 | D | 41 | 08846 (Middlesex, 30/100) |
Violation Summary
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Total violations | 3,591 |
| Health-based violations | 352 |
| Monitoring/Reporting violations | 3,239 |
| ZIP codes analyzed | 726 |
| Health violations per ZIP (avg) | 0.5 |
Top health-based violation categories:
- Stage 1 DBP Rule (997 violations across 226 ZIP codes)
- Consumer Confidence Report Rule (693 violations across 125 ZIP codes)
- E. coli (452 violations across 82 ZIP codes)
PFAS Contamination Status
- PFAS detected in 446 of 732 ZIP codes analyzed (61%).
- 783 ZIP codes with federal PFAS exceedances.
- 67 ZIP codes exceeding state-level PFAS limits.
- State has enacted its own PFAS MCLs (stricter than federal standards).
State Regulatory Context
New Jersey is a national leader in PFAS regulation, with enforceable MCLs for PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA that are stricter than federal limits. The state enforces stricter limits than federal EPA minimums for 4 contaminants. ZipCheckup analyzes lab results from 2,571 water systems across New Jersey, covering 16 contaminants from 2 data sources. The most frequently tested contaminants include Lead (Pb 90th %ile), Cu90, NMeFOSAA. Overall, New Jersey earns a water quality grade of C (average score: 62/100) across 309 ZIP codes. 92% of tested systems have at least one EPA violation on record. If you live in New Jersey, review the contaminant table above for your specific water system — state averages may not reflect local conditions.
Comparison to National Average
| Metric | NJ | National |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Score | 58/100 | 67/100 |
| Grade | F | D |
| Health violations / ZIP | 0.5 | — |
About This Data
Data: ZipCheckup.com | Sources: EPA SDWIS, FEMA, CDC, Census | License: CC BY 4.0
Press contact: [email protected] General contact: [email protected] State page: https://zipcheckup.com/states/new-jersey/
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