In addition, Scotch Plains is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.
Because of many things, Scotch Plains is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Scotch Plains 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 township’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Scotch Plains has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Scotch Plains’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
One downside of living in Scotch Plains is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Scotch Plains, the average commute to work is 33.72 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the township, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.
Like elsewhere in America, most people in Scotch Plains use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Scotch Plains‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the train. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Scotch Plains. 67.48% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in Scotch Plains in 2018 was $80,716, which is wealthy relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $322,864 for a family of four.
Scotch Plains is an extremely ethnically-diverse township. The people who call Scotch Plains home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Scotch Plains residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Scotch Plains also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.60% of the township’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Scotch Plains include Italian, Irish, Polish, German, and English.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Scotch Plains's cultural character, accounting for 16.70% of the township’s population.
The most common language spoken in Scotch Plains is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.
