New Jersey Population 2024

9,320,865

The coastal state of New Jersey is situated on the northeastern edge of the United States and is bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.

The last nationwide census was completed in 2010 and at the time, it was revealed that there were 8,791,894 people living in New Jersey, which equated to a rise of 4.5% on the numbers declared in the 2000 survey.

The most current estimates from July 2015 show a New Jersey population of 8,958,013, which makes it the 11th most populous state in the country, despite being ranked 47th in terms of size.

New Jersey Population Density and Area

Statistics relating to density show that New Jersey makes great use of every inch of territory. Its total land mass equates to 8,721 square miles (22,608 square kilometers), making it only the 47th biggest state in the US. The only US states that are smaller than New Jersey are Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island. It has played a prime role in the history of the country, and in terms of the New Jersey population, the state packs a lot of people into a relatively small area.

Despite its lack of size, however, for every square mile of NJ territory, there is an average of 1,195.5 people, which makes it the most densely populated state in the US. New Jersey is the only state to have every single county considered "urban" by the Census Bureau.

Largest Cities in New Jersey

For such a densely populated state, there are only four cities in New Jersey with a population of more than 100,000 people. Newark is the state’s largest city, with a population of 281,944 (based on 2015 estimates), closely followed by Jersey City, home to 264,290 people. The other cities with more than 100,000 people are Paterson (147,754 people) and Elizabeth (129,007).

Most of New Jersey's population lives in the counties surrounding New York City, Philadelphia and the eastern Jersey Shore. The northwestern and very southern counties have a much lower density. The most populated county in New Jersey is Bergen County with 948,406 individuals residing within its boundaries.

New Jersey Gender and Religion Statistics

Interestingly, New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than any other area of the world. It's also one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse states in the US, with the second largest Jewish population (after New York state), the second largest Muslim population (after the state of Michigan), the largest population of Peruvians in the country, and the largest population of Cubans outside of the state of Florida. It also boasts very high numbers of Portuguese and Brazilian Americans, Hispanics, Arabs, African-Americans, Asians, Chinese and Italian Americans.

The median age in New Jersey is approximately 39.5 years of age. The ratio of females to males is approximately 51.2% females and 48.8% males.

In terms of religious preferences across the state, New Jersey comes in with 67% Christian based faiths, 14% non-Christian based faiths, and 18% are non-affiliated with any religion.

New Jersey Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

New Jersey was one of the 13 original States, and has had essentially its current boundaries since Colonial times. Census coverage included all parts of the State from 1790 on.

New Jersey Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Jersey was:

  • White: 62.68%
  • Black or African American: 13.27%
  • Asian: 9.75%
  • Other race: 7.31%
  • Two or more races: 6.68%
  • Native American: 0.27%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%

New Jersey Population History

It's a simplistic generalization to say that like most eastern areas of the United States, New Jersey began to fill up quite rapidly in the 1800s. In 1790, 184,139 citizens were living in the state, and that was already a very healthy figure.

Ten years later in 1800, that number had climbed by just under 15% to 211,149 but from the second half of the 19th century onwards, percentage rises in population began to increase on a census by census basis. The growth had gathered so much momentum that by the beginning of the 1900s, the New Jersey population had grown to 1,883,669.

New Jersey Population Growth

Throughout the 20th century there was less of a pattern in terms of population growth but the overall picture was one of sustained growth to the point where, in the present day, the New Jersey population in 2016 is edging toward the nine million mark. To put that in perspective, that is bigger than more than half of the countries in Europe, and nearly one-third of the size of a country like Canada.

New Jersey Population Projections

New Jersey’s remarkable growth shows no signs of abating and similar increases will take the population comfortably beyond the 9 million mark in 2020. How long this tiny state can sustain those rises without running out of space is a far greater question.

Data gathered shows that New Jersey's population will continue to grow and diversify. The population is expected to include more seniors, Hispanics and Asians by 2020, and its projected population growth is fueled by projected gains in employment. The smallest racial groups in the state, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Multiracial populations, are projected to increase substantially, increasing 167% between 2010 and 2030. By 2025, it's projected that non-Hispanic whites will no longer claim a majority of New Jersey's population, accounting for just 49.4% of the total population by then.

Current projections estimate New Jersey will have a population of 9.2 million residents by 2020, although it's hard to guess how long the growth can continue.

19.7% of New Jersey's diverse population is Hispanic or Latino of any race, and is the 8th highest Hispanic population in the United States based on percentage when compared to total population. The overall population of Hispanics, estimated to be over 1.5 million, is the 7th highest in the nation.

According to data from the 2010 Census, New Jersey's population of Asians was 9.0%, which is tied for the 3rd highest percentage of Asians in the United States. Almost three-quarters of all Asian Americans reside in New Jersey and a handful of other states, including california, New York, and Texas.

It's estimated that about 6.2% of New Jersey's population is made up of illegal immigrants, and New Jersey has the 6th highest illegal immigrant population in the US. There were an estimated 550,000 illegal immigrants in New Jersey as of 2010. New Jersey is also ranked 15th among all states with its total African American population.

New Jersey Growth Rate

New Jersey Population Rank

New Jersey Population 2024

New Jersey Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

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900K

The state of New Jersey, when broken down into population by county, had both gains and losses in its population. However, there were no significant increases and decreases as seen in other states in the US. The population growth and losses were calculated based on data from the 2010 Census, compared to estimates taken in 2015 by the US Census Bureau. Of all of the state's counties, the northern Hudson County posted the highest growth at 6.05%. Following behind is Middlesex County at 3.65%, Bergen County at 3.49%, and Union at 3.35%. There were multiple other counties that had slightly smaller rates of growth.

On the other side, some New Jersey counties also experienced declines in population from 2010 to 2015. The northernmost county of Sussex saw the biggest decline in population, dropping 3.46%. The next highest decreases were recorded along the southern border in Salem and Cape May Counties. Other counties that recorded lower populations include Monmouth, Atlantic, and Cumberland.

New Jersey Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White5,787,87362.68%
Black or African American1,225,32113.27%
Asian900,5169.75%
Other race675,0227.31%
Two or more races617,2706.68%
Native American24,7190.27%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3,3030.04%

White

Black or African American

Asian

Other race

Two or more races

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

New Jersey Population by Race

New Jersey Population Pyramid 2024

New Jersey Median Age

40

Total

38.7

Male

41.3

Female

New Jersey Adults

There are 7,193,582 adults, (1,494,516 of whom are seniors) in New Jersey.

New Jersey Age Dependency

62

Age Dependency Ratio

26.2

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.8

Child Dependency Ratio

New Jersey Sex Ratio

Female4,694,71350.84%
Male4,539,31149.16%

New Jersey Population by Age

New Jersey Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All3,397,1562.6663.836.2
Married1,723,2953.3478.721.3
Non Family1,070,2151.2349.150.9
Female436,2683.3145.954.1
Male167,3783.2451.948.1

3.24

Average Family Size

2.66

Average Household Size

63.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

New Jersey Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

New Jersey Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

New Jersey Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.95%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 71.31%.

New Jersey Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$54,761

Average Earnings

$64,179

Average Male

$44,973

Average Female

New Jersey Earnings by Educational Attainment

New Jersey Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

New Jersey Language

68.06% of New Jersey residents speak only English, while 31.94% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 16.55% of the population.

New Jersey Language

New Jersey Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic1,894,935322,47317.02%
White4,886,745294,8646.03%
Black1,176,507195,86016.65%
Other665,810129,78119.49%
Multiple609,01979,90413.12%
Asian886,14554,4356.14%
Native24,1844,34517.97%
Islander3,19854016.89%

9.76%

Overall Poverty Rate

8.7%

Male Poverty Rate

10.77%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in New Jersey

The race most likely to be in poverty in New Jersey is Other, with 19.49% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in New Jersey is White, with 6.03% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.72%. Among those working part-time, it was 10.55%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 17.65%.

New Jersey Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade22.13%
High School11.6%
Some College7.66%
Bachelors or Greater3.43%

New Jersey Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed23.02%
Male Unemployed19.09%
Female Employed4.87%
Male Employed3.36%

New Jersey Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

New Jersey Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

New Jersey Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

52.0%

Male Marriage Rate

47.2%

Female Marriage Rate

New Jersey Married by Age and Sex

male

female

New Jersey Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

New Jersey Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

New Jersey Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

309,642

Number of Veterans

288,647

Male Veterans

20,995

Female Veterans

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New Jersey Veterans by War

count

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New Jersey Veterans by Age

count

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New Jersey Veterans by Race

New Jersey Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.39%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.47%

Veteran Disability Rate

New Jersey Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66%

Labor Force Participation

61.7%

Employment Rate

6.2%

Unemployment Rate

New Jersey Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

New Jersey Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

New Jersey Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

51.74%

Born in New Jersey

77.09%

Native Born

22.91%

Foreign Born

9.77%

Non Citizen

13.13%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

77.09% of New Jersey residents were born in the United States, with 51.74% having been born in New Jersey. 9.77% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

New Jersey Place of Birth

  1. New Jersey State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources