Jersey City, New Jersey Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jersey City, NJ Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 293,788 | 9,334,304 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 13968.0 | 1071.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.54% | 0.59% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 125,081 | 3,503,323 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jersey City grew by 21.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 293,788 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jersey City is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 30.6% of residents. That is 8.9 points above New Jersey as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 64,032 21.8% +1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 90,002 30.6% +8.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 51,768 17.6% -3.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 34,705 11.8% -5.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New Jersey, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.8% of the people living in Jersey City and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% New Jersey 50.9%
- Men 50.2% New Jersey 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Jersey City
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Jersey City has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,050 | $103,817 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.19% | 4.37% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jersey City is about 6% lower than in New Jersey.
Housing
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $461,532 | $352,792 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,005 | $1,719 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 27.9% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jersey City is about 19.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,005 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jersey City spend about 67 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 278 hours, about 11.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 33.4 | 26.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 66.8 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 278 | 218 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,633 | $6,764 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 24.7% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,427 | 14,317 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,259 | 2,109 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Jersey City is 33 minutes, longer than the 26 minutes in New Jersey.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Jersey City has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49.8% | 39.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Health
Jersey City has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Jersey City | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.8% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.4% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
Jersey City, NJ Compared With Nearby Cities
Jersey City, NJ is the largest of the 6 cities compared here, 293,788 residents against a local median of 58,199. The measure that sets Jersey City, NJ apart most is median home price: $461,532, 19% above the local median of $388,297.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $98,050 against a local median of $83,559, 17% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 17% above the local median it puts Jersey City, NJ at the better end of the local range. The cities themselves spread $1,078,160 on median home price, so Jersey City, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Jersey City, NJ has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey City, NJ | 293,788 | $98,050 #3/6 | $461,532 #3/6 | 33.4 min #5/6 |
| Hoboken, NJ | 58,199 | $178,015 | $1,288,134 | 40.4 min |
| Union City, NJ | 66,416 | $64,444 | $209,974 | 31.5 min |
| Bayonne, NJ | 71,520 | $83,559 | $388,297 | 30.7 min |
| Kearny, NJ | 40,646 | $79,552 | $307,143 | 30.2 min |
| Secaucus, NJ | 21,687 | $135,242 | $582,237 | 33.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jersey City, New Jersey.
How many people live in Jersey City, New Jersey?
About 293,788 people live in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 125,081 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 33.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Jersey City, New Jersey?
Averaged over its land area, Jersey City, New Jersey has 13,968 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 162 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Jersey City, New Jersey?
The median home costs 4.7 times the median household income ($461,532 against $98,050), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,005 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Jersey City, New Jersey?
49.8% of adults in Jersey City, New Jersey hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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