State profile · NJ
Largest Cities in New Jersey
Ranked by resident population across 686 tracked cities and towns in New Jersey, using Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). This compares cities and Census-designated places, not metropolitan areas.
- 686
- Cities
- 6,073,618
- Combined city pop.
- $115,386
- Avg median income
- 5.2%
- Avg poverty rate
Data updated July 2026
The headline finding
Newark is the largest of 686 tracked cities in New Jersey, which ranks #2 of 52 nationally on avg median income.
- Newark
- largest tracked city (307,188 people)
- #2
- national rank, avg median income
- 686
- cities tracked in this state
Every figure here is read live from the same table rendered below.
77% of New Jersey's 686 tracked cities are small towns under 10,000 people -- none crosses the 1-million-resident mark.
How we calculate this mix & the national home-value percentile below
Every tracked city in New Jersey is bucketed by population: small town under 10,000; mid-size 10,000–99,999; large 100,000–999,999; megacity 1,000,000+. The national home-value comparison below plots New Jersey's average tracked-city home value against all 52 US states/territories, ranked the same way as the per-city percentiles: the state's percentile is the share of states with a lower average home value. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Largest cities in New Jersey
By population, hover or tap a bar for income detail
- Newark
Newark, NJ
307,188 residents
- Jersey City
Jersey City, NJ
289,691 residents
- Paterson
Paterson, NJ
157,660 residents
- Elizabeth
Elizabeth, NJ
135,887 residents
- Toms River 93,915
Toms River, NJ
93,915 residents
- Trenton 89,966
Trenton, NJ
89,966 residents
- Clifton 89,247
Clifton, NJ
89,247 residents
- Camden 71,471
Camden, NJ
71,471 residents
- Bayonne 70,468
Bayonne, NJ
70,468 residents
- Lakewood 69,884
Lakewood, NJ
69,884 residents
- Passaic 69,651
Passaic, NJ
69,651 residents
- East Orange 69,183
East Orange, NJ
69,183 residents
What this shows Newark, NJ is the most populous city profiled in New Jersey; the full list of all 686 cities follows below.
How New Jersey ranks nationally
Avg median income
$115,386
#2 of 52 · highest income
Avg home value
$471,197
#6 of 52 · highest values
Avg poverty rate
5.2%
#2 of 52 · lowest poverty
Tracked cities
686
#15 of 52 · most tracked cities
New Jersey ranks #2 of 52 nationally on average median income and #2 of 52 on average poverty rate, derived live by comparing it against every other tracked state. Averages are computed only across the cities PlainCities tracks in each state, not full state populations.
How New Jersey's home values compare nationally
Average tracked-city home value vs. all 52 US states/territories
$471,197 12th percentile more affordable than 12% of 52 US states
Each bar is a $50K-wide band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Which cities does New Jersey include?
What to do with New Jersey's city data
686 cities is a lot to browse, here's where to start.
- Newark is New Jersey's largest tracked city by population, start there if you want the fullest picture of a major NJ metro. Newark profile
- Short Hills has the highest median household income of any tracked city in New Jersey, a different lens than population size alone. Short Hills profile
- See how New Jersey's cities stack up nationally, not just against each other. National rankings
City counts and averages on this page cover only the 686 places with sufficient Census ACS data, smaller towns below the reporting threshold are not included.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cities does PlainCities track in New Jersey?
PlainCities profiles 686 cities and towns in New Jersey, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the largest city in New Jersey?
Newark is the largest tracked city in New Jersey, with a population of 307,188.
What is the average household income in New Jersey?
Across the 686 tracked cities in New Jersey, the average median household income is $115,386. Individual cities vary widely, with Short Hills reporting the highest median income at $250,001.
What is the average poverty rate in New Jersey?
The average poverty rate across New Jersey's tracked cities is 5.2%, based on Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.