Is population growing or shrinking?

Updated annually
It grew by 41,900 between 2024 and 2025. Changes in population reflect birth and death rates, immigration patterns, regional shifts, and even the overall health of the economy. New Jersey’s 0.44% annual increase was primarily driven by immigration to the state. In the decade between 2015 and 2025, New Jersey’s population grew by 5.2%.

+41.9K

population change (2024 to 2025)

+0.44%

percent change in population (2024 to 2025)
Since 2000, New Jersey's population increased in 24 of 25 years. The largest increase occurred between 2023 and 2024, when it gained 111,000 residents. The state's largest decline during the 21st century occurred between 2020 and 2021 when it lost 4,000 residents.

New Jersey gained 41,900 residents between 2024 and 2025.

Annual population change

A state’s population is influenced by three factors:
  • Natural population change: If births outnumber deaths in a given year, natural population growth is positive. If deaths exceed births, it is negative. Between 2024 to 2025 natural population change was positive in New Jersey, with births exceeding deaths by 26,000.
  • Immigration: international migration directly into or out of a state. If more people move in than move out, population change from immigration is positive. If more people move out than move in, it’s negative. New Jersey’s population change from immigration was positive, with about 53,100 more people coming from another country to New Jersey than leaving.
  • Domestic migration, moving between states: New Jersey’s population change from domestic migration was negative, with about 37,400 more people leaving for another state than moving in.

Between 2024 and 2025, immigration was the primary driver of population growth in New Jersey.

Components of population change

Among 21 county equivalents, Essex County had the largest population growth in New Jersey, welcoming 17,217 new residents. Cape May County lost the most, with a loss of 768 residents. County-level population data is available as of 2024.
Union County led New Jersey in percent population increase between 2023 and 2024 at 2.1%. Cape May County ranked last with a 0.81% decline.

Between 2023 and 2024, Union County gained 2.1% in population, the largest increase in New Jersey.

Population change

Between 2015 and 2025, New Jersey’s population has increased by 5.2%. During that same period, the US population grew by 6.2%. New Jersey ranks 25th among states in population growth over that decade.

New Jersey ranked 25th in population growth between 2015 and 2025.

Percent change in population

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.