Somerset County, NJ, has been ranked the fifth-best county in the nation by online real estate brokerage firm Movoto.com.

In Movoto.com’s real estate blog, Somerset is listed after only Loudoun County, VA, Douglas County, CO, Fairfax, VA and Chester County, PA.  Morris County, NJ, is number six on the list.

The ranking encompasses 640 counties for which Movoto.com analyzed certain demographic information – unemployment rate, median household income, median rent, median home price, high school graduation rate and percent of families below the poverty line – using the 2010 Census.

“One of America’s oldest counties, this place is just pretty much amazing,” the Movoto.com blog enthuses about Somerset County. “There’s beauty, friendliness, and a ton to see and do. Of course, this place also had some serious stats saying that this is an ideal county for anyone to call home.”  Among those attributes are the fourth-highest median household income and the fourth-lowest poverty level among counties on the Movoto.com list.

“It’s terrific that this independent ranking has confirmed what we know about Somerset County – that it’s a great place to live, work, raise a family and have fun,” said Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione.

“Somerset County’s diversity, housing options, recreational opportunities and business climate have remained its strengths even during challenging economic times,” he said.  “This ranking is a nice boost to our county’s long-held reputation for excellence.”

Visit http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-counties-in-america/ to see the Movoto.com blog and the complete ranking and methodology.