Kearny, New Jersey Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kearny, 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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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,646 | 9,334,304 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3956.5 | 1071.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.42% | 0.59% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 39.0 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 14,763 | 3,503,323 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kearny grew by 8.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 40,646 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kearny is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.4% of residents. That is 3.6 points above New Jersey as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,053 19.8% -0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,323 25.4% +3.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,080 22.3% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,075 14.9% -1.9 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 47.7% of the people living in Kearny and men 52.3%.
- Women 47.7% New Jersey 50.9%
- Men 52.3% New Jersey 49.1%
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Economy
Kearny has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,552 | $103,817 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.30% | 4.37% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.6% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kearny is about 23% lower than in New Jersey.
Housing
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $307,143 | $352,792 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,720 | $1,719 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 42.9% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kearny is about 14.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,720 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kearny spend about 60 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.2 | 26.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.5 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 218 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,814 | $6,764 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,111 | 14,317 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,097 | 2,109 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Kearny is 30 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
Kearny has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.2% | 39.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.63 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Health
Kearny has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kearny | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.1 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.2% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.8% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
Kearny, NJ Compared With Nearby Cities
Kearny, NJ is the 2nd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 40,646 residents against a local median of 21,687. Kearny, NJ's median home price, at $307,143, runs 61% above the $190,352 typical of the cities around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $79,552 against a local median of $93,692, 15% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 15% below the local median it puts Kearny, NJ at the weaker end of the local range. The cities themselves spread $394,712 on median home price, so Kearny, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kearny, NJ has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearny, NJ | 40,646 | $79,552 #3/4 | $307,143 #2/4 | 30.2 min #2/4 |
| Harrison, NJ | 20,334 | $93,692 | $187,524 | 36.8 min |
| Newark, NJ | 309,652 | $52,688 | $190,352 | 30.2 min |
| Secaucus, NJ | 21,687 | $135,242 | $582,237 | 33.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kearny, New Jersey.
How big is Kearny, New Jersey by population?
About 40,646 people live in Kearny, New Jersey, in 14,763 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 39.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Kearny, New Jersey mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Kearny, New Jersey has 3,957 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 46 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Kearny, New Jersey?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($307,143 against $79,552), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,720 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Kearny, New Jersey?
Unemployment in Kearny, New Jersey is 6.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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