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List of Cities and Counties in New Jersey

Discover New Jersey’s population facts easily with our list of counties and cities. Find out how many people live in each area, from big cities to small towns, and see how New Jersey’s population is spread out across the state.

New Jersey Counties by Population

A county is an administrative subdivision of a US state or territory. As of 2024, New Jersey is divided into 21 counties. These counties together contain 565 municipalities, 250 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 244 townships, and 4 villages.

Bergen County is the most populous county in New Jersey and Salem county is the lowest populated. Burlington County is the largest county by area and Hudson County is the smallest by Area. Hudson county is also most densely populated county in New Jersey.

read about the Population of New Jersey

#CountyPopulation 2021Area (sq. miles)
1Bergen County953,819234
2Middlesex County860,807311
3Essex County854,917126
4Hudson County702,46347
5Ocean County648,998636
6Monmouth County645,354472
7Union County572,114103
8Camden County523,771222
9Passaic County518,117185
10Morris County510,981469
11Burlington County464,269805
12Mercer County385,898226
13Somerset County345,647305
14Gloucester County304,477325
15Atlantic County274,966561
16Cumberland County153,627489
17Sussex County145,543521
18Hunterdon County129,924430
19Warren County110,731358
20Cape May County95,661255
21Salem County65,046338

Source: US Census report 2021

read about the race and ethnicity in California 

Top cities in New Jersey by population

As of 2022, New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and contains 564 municipalities consisting of five types: 253 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 241 townships, and 3 villages. The largest city by population in New Jersey is Newark with 311,549 residents. It’s followed by Jersey City (292,449), Paterson (159,732), and Elizabeth (137,298). 

Let’s have a look at the Top Cities/Towns in New Jersey by Population 

#NameCountyPopulation 2020
1NewarkEssex311,549
2Jersey CityHudson292,449
3PatersonPassaic159,732
4ElizabethUnion137,298
5Lakewood TownshipOcean135,158
6EdisonMiddlesex107,588
7Woodbridge TownshipMiddlesex103,639
8Toms RiverOcean95,438
9Hamilton TownshipMercer92,297
10TrentonMercer90,871
11CliftonPassaic90,296
12Cherry Hill TownshipCamden74,553
13Brick TownshipOcean73,620
14CamdenCamden71,791
15BayonneHudson71,686
16PassaicPassaic70,537
17East OrangeEssex69,612
18Union CityHudson68,589
19Franklin TownshipSomerset68,364
20Middletown TownshipMonmouth67,106

Source: US Census Bureau population estimate 2020

Most Populous Counties in New Jersey

The most populous county in New Jersey is Bergen County with approx 1 million residents.  It was followed by Middlesex County (0.86 million) and Essex County (0.854 million)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 most populous counties

#CountyPopulation 2021
1Bergen County953,819
2Middlesex County860,807
3Essex County854,917
4Hudson County702,463
5Ocean County648,998
6Monmouth County645,354
7Union County572,114
8Camden County523,771
9Passaic County518,117
10Morris County510,981
Least Populated New Jersey County

The least populous county is Salem County with 65,046 residents, it’s followed by Cape may and Warren County.

Let’s have look at 5 least populated counties in California

#CountyPopulation 2021
1Salem County65,046
2Cape May County95,661
3Warren County110,731
4Hunterdon County129,924
5Sussex County145,543

source: US Census 2021

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Largest counties in New Jersey by area

The Largest county by Land Area in New Jersey is Burlington County with an area of 805 sq. miles. Ocean County with an area of 636 sq. mi. comes next followed by Atlantic County (561 sq. mi.)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 counties by Area

#CountyArea (sq. miles)
1Burlington County805
2Ocean County636
3Atlantic County561
4Sussex County521
5Cumberland County489
6Monmouth County472
7Morris County469
8Hunterdon County430
9Warren County358
10Salem County338
Smallest County in New Jersey by area

The smallest county by area in New Jersey is Hudson with an area of 47 square miles.

#CountyArea (sq. miles)
1Hudson County47
2Union County103
3Essex County126
4Passaic County185
5Camden County222

source: US Census report 2021

Most Densely populated Counties in New Jersey

The most densely populated county in New Jersey is Hudson County, with 14,946.02 people per sq. mi. Next comes Essex County with 6785 people per sq. mi followed by Union County (5554/ sq.mi)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 densely populated counties

# County Density (people/sq. mi.)
1 Hudson County 14,946.02
2 Essex County 6,785.06
3 Union County 5,554.5
4 Bergen County 4,076.15
5 Passaic County 2,800.63
6 Middlesex County 2,767.87
7 Camden County 2,359.33
8 Mercer County 1,707.51
9 Monmouth County 1,367.28
10 Somerset County 1,133.27
Least Densely Populated County in New Jersey
# County Density (people/sq. mi.)
1 Salem County 193.51
2 Sussex County 279.35
3 Hunterdon County 302.15
4 Warren County 309.3
5 Cumberland County 314.17
List of Counties in New Jersey 2024 | Top Cities in New Jersey by Population