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- New Jersey Population - Overview
1737 census of the colony. Image: New Jersey State Archives
--Total population
The population of New Jersey in 2020 was 8,882,371, a 0.1% decline from 2019 and a 5.7% increase since the 2010 Census, according to the US Census Bureau. The state ranked as the eleventh most populous state in the 2020 Census, behind #10 Michigan at 9.97 million and ahead of #12 Virginia at 8.87 million, In 1900, the state population was 1,884,000.. In the first national census in 1790, New Jersey was reported to have 184,139 citizens, a population density of about 25 persons per square mile compared to the 1,210 persons in the 2020 Census--the highest density of all states. It is the fourth smallest state in land area (behind only Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut), * US Census Bureau * New Jersey QuickFacts, US Census Bureau 
Map of Newark circa 1911 created for health study. Image: NewJerseyAlmanac.com
--Race The state's population was 68% white, 13.7% black, 18% Hispanic of any race and 10% Asian/other, according to the 2010 Census. Asians were the fastest growing group, making up 8% of the state's total population compared to 5% in 2000. About 240,000 people, or 2%, identified themselves as multiracial in the census. The younger population of the state is also increasingly comprised of minorities. Just over half the number of 18 to 34 year-olds identified themselves as a race other than white in the last census, the highest proportion of all states and more than twice the level of 22% reported in 1980. Essex, Union and Camden counties had about 45% of the state’s African American population in the 2010 Census. * New Jersey QuickFacts, US Census Bureau * Current Population Survey, US Census Bureau --Foreign immigration and national origins Over the more recent decades, New Jersey has depended on foreign immigration to avoid a net decline in population. Between 2013 and 2014, 55,000 residents left for other states, a loss nearly offset by the 51,000 people who moved to New Jersey from foreign countries. The Census Bureau estimated that 22.6% of the state's population was foreign-born in the 2013-2014 period, the third highest percentage of all states behind only California and New York and substantially above the national rate of 13.6%. It is estimated that there were about 550,000 illegal immigrants making up about 6.4% of the population s of 2010, which is the fourth highest percentage of any state. The primary sources of foreign immigration to New Jersey have increasingly been shifting from Europe to Latin America and Asia, but the five largest ethnic groups in 2000 continued to reflect the historical pattern, with the largest groups comprised of Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African (13.6%), German (12.6%) and Polish (6.9%). The Spanish language, with 14.59% of households speaking it as their primary language at home, is by far the most frequent language spoken other than English, with Chinese (1.23%), Italian (1.06%) and Portuguese (1.06%) the only other languages exceeding one percent. Between 1990 and 2010, as the number of immigrants to the US doubled (from just under 19 million to almost 40 million), New Jersey experienced a proportionate change from 967,000 people in 1990 to over 1.8 million in 2013. As a percentage of population in 2010, New Jersey was the third highest state in the percentage of Asians with 8.3%, behind only Hawaii (38.6%) and California (13.3%), and the highest of all states in the percentage of Asian Indians with 3.32%. Bergen County is home to all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population, led by Palisades Park, where Koreans comprise the majority (52%) of the population. The state also had the largest population of Peruvian Americans of all states; the largest population of Cuban Americans outside of Florida; and the third highest Italian American population by percentage, according to the 2000 Census. According to data from the National Science Foundation, immigrants comprise 48% of state residents with master’s degrees and 41% of those with doctorates in scientific fields. New Jersey attitudes toward immigrants appear to be more positive than the nation as a whole. A survey in 2014 reported that 61% responded that immigrants strengthened the country because of their hard work and talents compared to 55% nationally; similarly, 29% of New Jerseyans responded that immigrants burdened the country because they took jobs, housing and healthcare compared to 36% who so responded for the US as a nation. New Jersey had the same percentage as the US with 60% of respondents who believed that the best option for dealing with illegal immigrants was to provide a way for them to become citizens; 15% of New Jerseyans responded that illegals should be identified and deported compared to 19% in all states. * Current Population Survey, US Census Bureau * State Immigration Data Profiles, Migration Policy Institute |
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--State-to-state migration In 2020, the annual survey published by United Van Lines reported that of all states New Jersey had the largest outbound movers at 70%, with the state hoding the highest outbound spot for 3 consecutive years. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, major metropolitan areas and hotspots, such as New York City (72%), Newark (72%) and Chicago (69%), experienced greater outbound migration, while lower-density cities like Wilmington, North Carolina (79%) and Boise, Idaho (75%) saw high levels of inbound moves. According to an analysis of IRS tax and migration records, from 2006 to 2011 the state lost more than 90,000 taxpayers--and some $8 billion in income--to other states and countries which was not made up from new workers within the state. * 2020 Annual National Movers Study, United Van Lines * Statistics of Income, Migration Data 2015-2016, Internal Revenue Service --Age
The median age of New Jersey's population in the 2010 Census was 39 years, the 41st oldest of the states behind Utah, the youngest at 29.7 years, and ahead of Maine, the oldest at 42.7 years. The state had an estimated 14.7% of its population 65 years or older as of 2014 compared to the national average of 14.5% according to the Census Bureau. Some 40% of the state's 18 to 34 year-olds live with their parents, a proportion well above the national average of 30%. * New Jersey Quick Facts, US Census Bureau --Counties
Bergen County had the largest population in the state as reported in the 2010 Census with 905,116 residents and Salem was the least populated with 66,083 residents. Gloucester had the highest rate of population growth from 2000 to 2010 with a 13.2% increase, nearly three times the 4.5% rate of growth recorded for the state as a whole. Nine other New Jersey counties grew faster than the state during the 2000-2010 period: Ocean (12.8%), Somerset (8.7%), Atlantic (8.7%), Middlesex (8.0%), Cumberland (7.1%), Warren (6.1%), Burlington (6.0%), Hunterdon (5.2%) and Morris (4.7%). The only counties to experience a population decline in the last decade were Cape May (-5,061). and Essex (-9,664). * New Jersey State and County QuickFacts, US Census Bureau --Cities
Only four cities in New Jersey have a population over 100,000 people. Newark is the state’s largest city, with a population of 278,154 (based on the 2010 census), closely followed by Jersey City, home to 247,597 people; Paterson (146,199); and Elizabeth (124,969). On the basis of estimates of 2014 population, Newark is the 69th largest of all US cities; in the 1940 US Census, the city's population of 429,760 made it the 18th largest in the nation. -- Religion
. New Jersey's religious composition was 67% Christian; 14% non-Christian; and 18% unaffiliated (atheist; agnostic; nothing or don't know), according to the 2014 Religious Landscape Study of the Pew Research Center. Among Christians, 34% are Catholic and the overall the state has the highest proportion of Catholics at 38%, second only to Rhode Island's 44%, according to the American Values Atlas. The New Jersey Jewish population of 516,470 is 5.8% of its 2014 population (second highest after New York state). It has the second largest percentage of Muslims in its population of .9% (after Michigan). With 109 mosques in 2011, it tied with Illinois for the fifth highest number of all states, behind first-ranking New York with 257. The city of Paterson was estimated to have 25,000 to 30,000 Muslims as of 2011. * Religious Landscape Study, Pew Research Center * US Religion Census, Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies * Jewish Virtual Library * Distribution of Muslim Population in the United States, 2010, Muslim Journeys, National Endowment for the Humanities -- Marriage and divorce Some 53% of males and 48% of females aged 15 and older in New Jersey were married compared to, respectively, 52% and 48% nationally, according to a survey for 2007-2008 taken by the US Census Bureau. The median age at first marriage in New Jersey was 30 years old for men--tied for highest of all states--and 28 years for women, compared to the US average of 28 years for men and 26 for women. Those currently divorced at the time of the 2007-2008 survey comprised 7% of men and 10% of women compared to 9% and 12%, respectively, for all states. * Marriage and Divorce, American Community Survey, US Census Bureau * Marriage and Divorce, National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control * The States of Marriage and Divorce, Pew Research Center --Projections
Population growth is projected to average 0.6% annually from 2014 to 2025, compared to 0.8% for the nation as a whole, with the state's share of total US population expected to fall from 2.8% in 2014 to 2.6% in 2045. By 2045, the state's total population is projected to be just over 10 million residents. The population is expected to include more seniors, Hispanics and Asians by 2020. The smallest racial groups in the state, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Multiracial populations, are projected to increase substantially, growing by 167% between 2010 and 2030. By 2025, it is projected that non-Hispanic whites will no longer be a majority of New Jersey's population, accounting for just 49.4% of the total population by then * New Jersey Quick Facts, US Census Bureau
* Statistics of Income, Migration Data 2015-2016, Internal Revenue Service -- Quality of life
According to a survey released in May 2021 by the Monmouth University Polling Institute, nearly 6 in 10 New Jerseyans say the state is either an excellent (16%) or good (43%) place to live, while 27% say it is only fair and 14% rate the state as poor. The current positive rating of 59% is down from 68% last year. The all-time high mark for the state rating was 84% positive in February 1987. The record low was 50% recorded in February 2019, but it had improved to 61% by September of that year. Over the past decade, the state rating has generally been in the low- to mid-60s. * New Jersey Quality of Life Index, Monmouth University Polling Institute, 5/24/2021 |
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