Which 10 N.J. towns have the highest COVID vaccination rates? – NJ.com

The state released new maps earlier this month displaying vaccination rates by town in an effort, it said, to show where vaccine resources need to be deployed.

The data gives a snapshot of rates in each town, but officials acknowledge the numbers in any given municipality may be affected by various factors, including seasonal residencies, second homes and transient college students.

Of municipalities with populations over 10,000, Livingston has the highest rate of fully vaccinated residents at 68%, based on the state map as of Monday, May 24.

It’s followed by Paramus (66%), Millburn (64%), Ocean City (62%), Haddonfield (62%) and Chatham Township (58%).

Next come Parsippany, Voorhees, Cedar Grove and Verona Township, all at 57% fully vaccinated.

Looking at which municipalities with populations over 10,000 have the most residents with at least one shot, Livingston is also at the top, the data shows. Its one-dose vaccination rate is 84%.

It’s followed by Millburn (79%), Paramus (78%) and Haddonfield (72%). Ocean City, Cedar Grove and West Windsor come next at 69% each, while Chatham Township is next at 68%.

Parsippany, Montclair, Princeton and Plainsboro follow at 67% each.

Looking at all towns across the state, regardless of population size, shore communities post high vaccination rates, according to the maps. But the data for shore towns is skewed by the mobility of seasonal residents, the state acknowledged.

Some towns on the map even show a vaccination rate of more than 100%.

“Many counties down the shore, for an example, could have over 100%. A lot of people from Pennsylvania have residences at the shore and they got vaccinated here,” Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli explained earlier this month. These people would not be counted as full-time New Jersey residents in the Census, thereby inflating the vaccination percentage.

The maps’ key explains the higher than 100% numbers further, saying it could be because of “transient persons (i.e., people who have moved), those who are traveling and not residing in their home where the Census counted them, students who may select their student residence for vaccination data, persons in long-term care (or other facility-based housing outside of the home) which might be counted in a different location for the Census, and other reasons.”

To see how your town is doing with vaccinations, when you go to the maps — one shows fully vaccinated data and the other shows percentages of people with at least one-shot — clicking on a municipality will show vaccination data for total residents, residents over 18 and residents over 65.

In some cases, you may need to click on the words “At Least One Dose” or “Vaccine Courses Complete” within the white box before the data appears.

More than 3.9 million people who live, work, or study in the state have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at New Jersey sites. The state’s goal is to have 70% of New Jersey’s adults vaccinated by the end of June. About 56% of the state’s 6.9 million adults have been fully vaccinated so far, while kids as young as 12 are now eligible to receive shots. More than 188,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 have been vaccinated in New Jersey.

More than 4.78 million people have received at least their first dose at a New Jersey site — about 52% of the state’s 9.2 million residents.

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NJ Advance Media Staff writer Nick Devlin contributed to this report.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.