While a few counties are booming, much of the Shore area has yet to recover. The state of New Jersey has achieved a new population milestone in 2018, reaching nine million residents. While areas such as the Hudson Valley, Jersey City and Newark are in a celebratory state, neighborhoods and rural populations in the north continue to experience sizeable drops. The Shore is also still recovering from the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy.
Counties Which Are Growing Most Rapidly
Hudson County is experiencing the most impressive growth, receiving over 50,000 new residents from 2010 until 2017. This is a rate which is four times bigger than the rest of the state. The towns of Secaucus, Weehawken and Harrison are within the top municipalities for residential growth, and other honorable mentions include Hunterdon County and Riverdale.
Many believe Jersey City is on track to become the largest metropolitan area in the state. It is in close competition with Newark, and is rapidly closing the gap with its larger counterpart. If growth rates for 2018 remain the same as 2017, Jersey City will likely surpass Newark by 2023. Another city which has gained new ground however is Lakewood, situated within Ocean County. It has demonstrated the biggest shift of New Jersey municipalities, and is thriving due to its younger population and exceptional fertility rate.
Counties Which Are Shrinking Most Rapidly
Although Ocean County has made some gains, the Shore in general has not fully recovered from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Cape May, Monmouth and Atlantic have steadily lost residents, which is further exacerbated by the financial problems of Atlantic City along with the aging population of Cape May. Towns which are lacking in inland space have for the most part either declined or maintained the same level of population.
New Jersey rural municipalities experienced the steepest population declines, losing about two percent of their populations on average from 2010 until 2017. Small towns were also hard hit, and the causes have largely been attributed to economic changes which favor technical work, retail and trade. Overall, New Jersey’s population increased slightly from 2016 to 2017 at about 0.3 percent.
However, excess property taxes combined with a marginal recession recovery have not helped matters. Sussex is one of the counties shrinking the fastest, losing over 1300 residents from 2014 to 2015, which is almost 1 percent of the total population. Other counties in New Jersey which are experiencing a sharp population decline include Salem, Camden, Cumberland, Hunterdon, Monmouth and Cape May.
The situation has been extensively researched, and the consensus is that it results from systemic factors which are beyond the control of the residents or community leaders. Although more affordable, rural locations are not attractive as younger people prefer urban locations where they have easy downtown access to shopping and where public transportation allows them rapid access to jobs.
