Population boom: The fastest growing cities and towns in NJ

TRENTON – Five of the nine towns in New Jersey that added the most residents between the 2020 Census and mid-2021 are in Ocean County, and another three are also in South Jersey, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau makes annual estimates of the population of each city and town, representing their estimated count as of July 1 of each year. These aren’t actual head counts but estimates based on the number of new housing units and other trends.

Here are the top 25 municipalities in terms of the number of residents gained in the 15 months after April 1, 2020 – technically the top 26, as the list begins with a tie. [RELATED: Residents are leaving these NJ towns in droves]

NJ towns that are growing the most — 25 to 11

25 (tie). Barnegat, Ocean County: Up 420 residents to 24,706

25 (tie). Bogota, Bergen County: Up 420 residents to 9,194

24. Raritan Township, Hunterdon County: Up 430 residents to 23,855

23. Teaneck, Bergen County: Up 446 residents to 41,678

22. Old Bridge, Middlesex County: Up 449 residents to 67,284

21. Wyckoff, Bergen County: Up 458 residents to 17,037

20. Cedar Grove, Essex County: Up 476 residents to 13,430

19. Woolwich, Gloucester County: Up 481 residents to 13,192

18. Rockaway Township, Morris County: Up 527 residents to 25,869

17. Manchester, Ocean County: Up 539 residents to 45,649

16. Park Ridge, Bergen County: Up 549 residents to 9,434

15. Florham Park, Morris County: Up 550 residents to 13,149

14. Berkeley, Ocean County: Up 586 residents to 44,348

13. Hamilton, Atlantic County: Up 590 residents to 28,080

12. Lacey, Ocean County: Up 623 residents to 29,273

11. Lopatcong, Warren County: Up 627 residents to 9,412

NJ towns that are growing the most — Top 10

10. Long Branch, Monmouth County

Up 722 residents to 32,383

9. Stafford, Ocean County

Up 876 residents to 29,948

8. Cherry Hill, Camden County

Up 950 residents to 75,474

7. Mount Laurel, Burlington County

Up 1,006 residents to 45,606

6. Jackson, Ocean County

Up 1,067 residents to 59,614

5. Evesham, Burlington County

Up 1,160 residents to 47,952

4. Raritan Borough, Somerset County

Up 1,256 residents to 9,096

3. Brick, Ocean County

Up 1,299 residents to 74,903

2. Toms River, Ocean County

Up 1,851 residents to 97,304

1. Lakewood, Ocean County

Up 2,911 residents to 138,070

Biggest percentage gains in population

Finally, looked at another way, here is the countdown of the top 10 municipalities in terms of percentage gain from April 2020 to June 2021:

10. Cedar Grove, Essex County: Up 3.7% to 13,430

9. Woolwich, Gloucester County: Up 3.8% to 13,192

8. Florham Park, Morris County: Up 4.4% to 13,149

7. Harrington Park, Bergen County: Up 4.7% to 4,963

6. Bogota, Bergen County: Up 4.8% to 9,194

5. Park Ridge, Bergen County: Up 6.2% to 9,434

4. Lawnside, Camden County: Up 6.3% to 3,139

3. Lopatcong, Warren County: Up 7.1% to 9,412

2. Netcong, Morris County: Up 8.5% to 3,658

1. Raritan borough, Somerset County: Up 16% to 9,096

Michael Symons is the Statehouse bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at michael.symons@townsquaremedia.com

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