These 6 N.J. towns are among most expensive for real estate in country

A record six New Jersey zip codes landed on a list of the most expensive real estate in the country.

"New Jersey has seen a notable increase in the number of zip codes reaching top rankings over the past several years," a spokesperson for Property Shark told NJ Advance Media. The previous record was five towns .

Between 2016 and 2019, the state consistently had two zip codes earning spots on the list. In 2020 there was only one zip code - and that one barely made it, ranking at 100, she said.

But things have escalated quickly since.

"This shows a steady growth in the number of top-performing zip codes each year since 2021," she said.

Alpine, which has made the list every year, was ranked 24 this year, up from 28 last year. The median sales price there increased to $3.32 million from $2.9 million last year. This is the first time a New Jersey zip code's median sales price surpassed $3 million in Property Shark's data.

The price surge was likely helped by a home sale that is the highest priced sale so far this year in New Jersey. A 20,000 square foot estate on four acres closed in July for $16.7 million.

Alpine in Bergen County is a favorite North Jersey suburb for celebrity actors, musicians and athletes because of its privacy and close proximity to Manhattan. Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, Stevie Wonder and Britney Spears have all reportedly owned homes there.

Deal in Monmouth County saw a big leap in median sales price causing it to shoot up to 32 on the list after being ranked 70 in 2023. The median sales price there was $2.95 million in 2024, up from $2.1 million.

Avalon in Cape May County was ranked 41 with a median sales price of $2.75 million. The Jersey Shore town moved up from 56 last year when its median sales price jumped nearly a half a million dollars from $2.29 million in 2023.

Mantoloking was ranked 59 with a median sales price of $2.365 million.

Stone Harbor, which shares Seven Mile Island with neighboring Avalon, was ranked 70 with a median sales price of $2.2 million. Neither Mantaloking or Stone Harbor zip code made last year's top 100 .

Short Hills was the final New Jersey zip code to make it on the list of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the country. It was ranked 93 with a median sales price of $1.955 million. It fell two spots from its 91 ranking in 2023 when the median sales price was $1.923 million.

Property Shark used residential transactions that closed between Jan. 1, 2024 and Sept. 30, 2024. They included condo, co-op, single- and two-family home sales. And they only considered zip codes that had at least five residential transactions during the time period.

Atherton, California was the highest priced zip code in the country for the eighth consecutive year, with a median sales price of $7.9 million. Two zip codes in the Hamptons - Sagaponack and Water Mill - came in second and third.