What is the poverty rate in New Jersey?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 8.7% of New Jersey’s population as of 2025. 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 2025, 817,500 people in New Jersey were considered in poverty.
8.7%
of the population (2025)
817K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 8.7% in 2025, 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 2025, 8.7% of New Jersey's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
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 2025, 817,500 people living in New Jersey were in poverty — down 18.1% from the 2013 peak of 998,500.
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In 2025, 817,500 people in New Jersey were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
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 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in New Jersey decreased from 15.6% to 10.6%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 9.7% to 7.7%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.9% to 10%.
In 2025, 10.6% of children in New Jersey were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in New Jersey?
Among racial or ethnic groups in New Jersey during 2025, 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
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 23.8% in 2015 to 15.1% in 2025.
In New Jersey, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 23.8% in 2015 to 15.1% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in New Jersey have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among New Jersey counties ranged from 4% in Hunterdon County to 15.6% in Cumberland County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Bergen County — was 6.8%.
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among New Jersey counties ranged from 4.0% to 15.6%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Cumberland County | 15.6% |
| 2. | Hudson County | 14.9% |
| 3. | Essex County | 14.6% |
| 4. | Atlantic County | 13.2% |
| 5. | Passaic County | 13.0% |
| 6. | Salem County | 12.7% |
| 7. | Camden County | 12.4% |
| 8. | Ocean County | 10.5% |
| 9. | Mercer County | 10.3% |
| 10. | Union County | 9.2% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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.
