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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
# | County | Population 2021 | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Bergen County | 953,819 | 234 |
2 | Middlesex County | 860,807 | 311 |
3 | Essex County | 854,917 | 126 |
4 | Hudson County | 702,463 | 47 |
5 | Ocean County | 648,998 | 636 |
6 | Monmouth County | 645,354 | 472 |
7 | Union County | 572,114 | 103 |
8 | Camden County | 523,771 | 222 |
9 | Passaic County | 518,117 | 185 |
10 | Morris County | 510,981 | 469 |
11 | Burlington County | 464,269 | 805 |
12 | Mercer County | 385,898 | 226 |
13 | Somerset County | 345,647 | 305 |
14 | Gloucester County | 304,477 | 325 |
15 | Atlantic County | 274,966 | 561 |
16 | Cumberland County | 153,627 | 489 |
17 | Sussex County | 145,543 | 521 |
18 | Hunterdon County | 129,924 | 430 |
19 | Warren County | 110,731 | 358 |
20 | Cape May County | 95,661 | 255 |
21 | Salem County | 65,046 | 338 |
Source: US Census report 2021
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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
# | Name | County | Population 2020 |
1 | Newark | Essex | 311,549 |
2 | Jersey City | Hudson | 292,449 |
3 | Paterson | Passaic | 159,732 |
4 | Elizabeth | Union | 137,298 |
5 | Lakewood Township | Ocean | 135,158 |
6 | Edison | Middlesex | 107,588 |
7 | Woodbridge Township | Middlesex | 103,639 |
8 | Toms River | Ocean | 95,438 |
9 | Hamilton Township | Mercer | 92,297 |
10 | Trenton | Mercer | 90,871 |
11 | Clifton | Passaic | 90,296 |
12 | Cherry Hill Township | Camden | 74,553 |
13 | Brick Township | Ocean | 73,620 |
14 | Camden | Camden | 71,791 |
15 | Bayonne | Hudson | 71,686 |
16 | Passaic | Passaic | 70,537 |
17 | East Orange | Essex | 69,612 |
18 | Union City | Hudson | 68,589 |
19 | Franklin Township | Somerset | 68,364 |
20 | Middletown Township | Monmouth | 67,106 |
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
# | County | Population 2021 |
1 | Bergen County | 953,819 |
2 | Middlesex County | 860,807 |
3 | Essex County | 854,917 |
4 | Hudson County | 702,463 |
5 | Ocean County | 648,998 |
6 | Monmouth County | 645,354 |
7 | Union County | 572,114 |
8 | Camden County | 523,771 |
9 | Passaic County | 518,117 |
10 | Morris County | 510,981 |
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
# | County | Population 2021 |
1 | Salem County | 65,046 |
2 | Cape May County | 95,661 |
3 | Warren County | 110,731 |
4 | Hunterdon County | 129,924 |
5 | Sussex County | 145,543 |
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
# | County | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Burlington County | 805 |
2 | Ocean County | 636 |
3 | Atlantic County | 561 |
4 | Sussex County | 521 |
5 | Cumberland County | 489 |
6 | Monmouth County | 472 |
7 | Morris County | 469 |
8 | Hunterdon County | 430 |
9 | Warren County | 358 |
10 | Salem County | 338 |
Smallest County in New Jersey by area
The smallest county by area in New Jersey is Hudson with an area of 47 square miles.
# | County | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Hudson County | 47 |
2 | Union County | 103 |
3 | Essex County | 126 |
4 | Passaic County | 185 |
5 | Camden County | 222 |
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 |