What is the poverty rate in New Jersey?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 9.2% of New Jersey’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 859,029 people in New Jersey were considered in poverty.
9.2%
of the population (2024)
859K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous year. New Jersey's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 11.4%.
In 2024, 9.2% of New Jersey's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 859,029 people living in New Jersey were in poverty — down 14% from the 2013 peak of 998,549.
In 2024, 859,000 people in New Jersey were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in New Jersey?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in New Jersey decreased from 15.9% to 11.7%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 10% to 8.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.6% to 9.7%.
In 2024, 11.7% of children in New Jersey were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in New Jersey?
Among racial or ethnic groups in New Jersey during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population shifted the most, decreasing from 28.5% in 2014 to 14.4% in 2024.
In New Jersey, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population decreased from 28.5% in 2014 to 14.4% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in New Jersey have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among New Jersey counties ranged from 3.8% in Hunterdon County to 16.3% in Cumberland County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Bergen County — was 6.7%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among New Jersey counties ranged from 3.8% to 16.3%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Cumberland County | 16.3% |
| 2. | Essex County | 15.0% |
| 3. | Hudson County | 14.8% |
| 4. | Passaic County | 13.7% |
| 5. | Atlantic County | 13.1% |
| 6. | Salem County | 12.8% |
| 7. | Camden County | 12.2% |
| 8. | Mercer County | 11.1% |
| 9. | Ocean County | 10.4% |
| 10. | Union County | 8.9% |
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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.
