Sussex County, New Jersey Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sussex County, 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.
-
A
Health Above averageHealthier than 70% of counties in New Jersey
-
A
Income Above averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in New Jersey
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 145,409 | 9,334,304 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 271.8 | 1071.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.07% | 0.59% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.4 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 57,586 | 3,503,323 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sussex County declined by 4.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 145,409 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sussex County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 25.6% of residents. That is 4.2 points above New Jersey as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 27,060 18.6% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 28,732 19.8% -2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 37,226 25.6% +4.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 27,387 18.8% +2.0 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 Sussex County 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 Sussex County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sussex County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $116,052 | $103,817 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.57% | 4.37% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sussex County is about 12% higher than in New Jersey.
Housing
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $215,788 | $352,792 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,585 | $1,719 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.8% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sussex County is about 11.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,585 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sussex County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 271 hours, about 11.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.6 | 26.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 65.1 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 271 | 218 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,411 | $6,764 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.9% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,196 | 14,317 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,160 | 2,109 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Jersey:
Cape May County (18.1 min), Cumberland County (21.2 min), Atlantic County (21.6 min).
Slowest:
Hudson County (32.7 min), Sussex County (32.6 min), Hunterdon County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Sussex County 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
Sussex County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.7% | 39.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Jersey:
Somerset County (0.4), Morris County (0.4), Hunterdon County (0.4).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.2), Salem County (0.2), Passaic County (0.3).
Health
Sussex County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Sussex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.4% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.2% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Jersey:
Morris County (0.8), Hunterdon County (0.8), Somerset County (0.8).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.8), Salem County (0.8), Passaic County (0.8).
Sussex County, NJ Compared With Nearby Counties
Sussex County, NJ is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 145,409 residents against a local median of 406,655. Where Sussex County, NJ breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 27% below the local median of $293,850 at $215,788.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 32.6 min against a local median of 25.8 min, 26% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Sussex County, NJ is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $282,718 on median home price, so Sussex County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sussex County, NJ has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County, NJ | 145,409 | $116,052 #2/6 | $215,788 #6/6 | 32.6 min #6/6 |
| Morris County, NJ | 514,287 | $137,937 | $539,796 | 25.8 min |
| Pike County, PA | 60,618 | $81,806 | $264,463 | 32.5 min |
| Passaic County, NJ | 520,457 | $88,196 | $376,251 | 22.5 min |
| Warren County, NJ | 110,807 | $100,835 | $257,078 | 30.8 min |
| Orange County, NY | 406,655 | $97,535 | $293,850 | 25.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sussex County, New Jersey.
What is the population of Sussex County, New Jersey?
About 145,409 people live in Sussex County, New Jersey, in 57,586 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Sussex County, New Jersey mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sussex County, New Jersey has 272 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sussex County, New Jersey?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($215,788 against $116,052), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,585 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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