List of counties in New Jersey

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The shape of New Jersey divided by black lines into the different counties. Larger counties are in the center and northwest, with smaller counties in the northeast; see the list for details.
New Jersey's 21 counties

There are 21 counties in the U.S. state of New Jersey. These counties together have 564 municipalities, or administrative entities composed of clearly defined territory; 253 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 241 townships, and 3 villages.[1] In New Jersey, a county is a local level of government between the state and municipalities. County government in New Jersey includes a Board of Chosen Freeholders,[2] sheriff, clerk, and surrogate (responsible for uncontested and routine probate),.[3] All of these jobs are elected officials. Counties are responsible for the maintenance of jails, parks, and certain roads.[4] The site of a county's administration and courts is called the county seat.

FIPS code[change | change source]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. FIPS codes are five digit numbers. For New Jersey the codes start with 34 and are completed with the three digit county code. The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county.[5]

Counties[change | change source]

County
 FIPS code[5] County seat[6] Largest City[7] Established[6] Formed from[8][9] Named for[10] Density (per mi2) Population (2020)[11] Land Area[6] Map
 
Atlantic County 001 Mays Landing Egg Harbor Township 47,842 1837 Gloucester County The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the county's eastern border 494 274,534 556 sq mi
(1,440 km2)		 A county in the southeast part of the state. It is medium in size.
Bergen County 003 Hackensack Hackensack 46,030 1683 One of 4 original counties created in East Jersey Bergen, New Netherland settlement 4,106 955,732 233 sq mi
(603 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is small.
Burlington County 005 Mount Holly Evesham Township 46,826 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey The old ancient name for an inland market near Bridlington, England 578 461,860 799 sq mi
(2,069 km2)		 A county in the southern part of the state. It gets wider as it goes northeast. It is one of the largest counties.
Camden County 007 Camden Cherry Hill 74,553 1844 Gloucester County Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714–1794), an English supporter of the colonists during the American Revolution[12] 2,365 523,485 221 sq mi
(572 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is very small.
Cape May County 009 Cape May Court House Lower Township 22,057 1692 Burlington County The 17th-century Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who explored and surveyed the Delaware Bay to the south of the county 379 95,263 252 sq mi
(653 km2)		 A county the makes up the southern tip of the state. It is one of the smallest.
Cumberland County 011 Bridgeton Vineland 60,780 1748 Salem County Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765), second son of George II of Great Britain and military victor at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 319 154,152 483 sq mi
(1,251 km2)		 A county in the southern part of the state, west of the tip. It is averagely sized.
Essex County 013 Newark Newark 311,549 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The county of Essex in England 6,850 863,728 126 sq mi
(326 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is one of the smallest.
Gloucester County 015 Woodbury Washington Township 48,677 1686 Burlington County The city of Gloucester, England 939 302,294 322 sq mi
(834 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Hudson County 017 Jersey City Jersey City 292,449 1840 Bergen County The English explorer Henry Hudson (d. 1611), who explored portions of New Jersey's coastline 15,692 724,854 46 sq mi
(119 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is the smallest county.
Hunterdon County 019 Flemington Raritan Township 23,447 1714 Burlington County Robert Hunter (1664–1734), the Colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1710 to 1720 301 128,947 428 sq mi
(1,109 km2)		 A county in the west part of the state, just north of the divide between north and south. It is averagely sized.
Mercer County 021 Trenton Hamilton Township 92,297 1838 Burlington County, Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, and Somerset County The Continental Army General Hugh Mercer (1726–1777), who died at the Battle of Princeton[13] 1,726 387,340 224 sq mi
(580 km2)		 A county in the western part of the state, just above an indentation. It is small compared to its neighbors.
Middlesex County 023 New Brunswick Edison 107,588 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The historic county of Middlesex in England 2,791 863,162 309 sq mi
(800 km2)		 A county in the northern part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Monmouth County 025 Freehold Borough Middletown Township 67,106 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The historic county of Monmouthshire in Wales 1,375 643,615 468 sq mi
(1,212 km2)		 A county in the central-western part of the state. It is averagely sized and gets skinnier in the west.
Morris County 027 Morristown Parsippany-Troy Hills 56,162 1739 Hunterdon County Colonel Lewis Morris (1671–1746), colonial governor of New Jersey at the time of the county's formation[14][15] 1,105 509,285 461 sq mi
(1,194 km2)		 A county in the northern part of the state, landlocked by other counties. It is well-sized.
Ocean County 029 Toms River Lakewood Township 135,158 1850 Monmouth County and Burlington County The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the eastern border of New Jersey 1,014 637,229 628 sq mi
(1,627 km2)		 A county in the southeast part of the state. It is large and gets skinnier in the south.
Passaic County 031 Paterson Paterson 159,732 1837 Bergen County and Essex County "Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley" 2,818 524,118 186 sq mi
(482 km2)		 A county in the north-central part of the state. It is small, and has two wide parts with a skinny area between them.
Salem County 033 Salem Pennsville Township 12,684 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey A Hebrew word meaning "peace" 195 64,837 332 sq mi
(860 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Somerset County 035 Somerville Franklin Township 68,364 1688 Middlesex County The county of Somerset in England 1,144 345,361 302 sq mi
(782 km2)		 A county landlocked by other counties in the northern part of the state. It is small.
Sussex County 037 Newton Vernon Township 22,358 1753 Morris County The county of Sussex in England 278 144,221 519 sq mi
(1,344 km2)		 A county in the northwest corner of the state. It is larger than most surrounding counties.
Union County 039 Elizabeth Elizabeth 137,298 1857 Essex County The union of the United States, which was being threatened by the dispute over slavery 5,599 575,345 103 sq mi
(267 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state, on an indentation. It is one of the smallest counties.
Warren County 041 Belvidere Phillipsburg 15,249 1824 Sussex County The American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren (1741–1775), killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill 307 109,632 357 sq mi
(925 km2)		 A county in the northwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ Coppa, Frank J. (2000). County government: a guide to efficient and accountable government. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9780275968298. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  3. ↑ Coppa, County government, p. 165
  4. ↑ "An Overview of County Government". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 National Association of Counties. "NACo County Explorer". Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2010 and 2017" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Health. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ "County Formation Map" (PDF). New Jersey Association of Election Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-24. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  9. ↑ Torp, Kim (2006). "New Jersey County Formation". Genealogy Trails. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  10. ↑ Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed November 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/NJ/POP010210
  12. ↑ Greenberg, Gail (August 30, 2009). "A Brief History of Camden County". Camden County Board of Freeholders. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  13. ↑ "History". Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  14. ↑ "The Land Past and Present". Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  15. ↑ "How did our county get its name?". Morris County Library. July 26, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
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