Highlands is a very small coastal borough (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 4,329 people and two associated neighborhoods, Highlands is the 331st largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Highlands are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

Highlands is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Highlands, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

Of important note, Highlands is also a borough of artists. Highlands has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Highlands’s character.

Also of interest is that Highlands has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 22.79% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Highlands is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Highlands is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Highlands, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 35.80 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Even though Highlands is a smaller borough, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly a ferryboat for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Highlands, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Highlands is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 53.68% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Highlands in 2022 was $73,460, which is upper middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $293,840 for a family of four. However, Highlands contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Highlands is a somewhat ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call Highlands home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Highlands residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include Italian, Irish, German, English, and French.

The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.