Jersey City is a large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 291,657 people and 77 associated neighborhoods, Jersey City is the second largest community in New Jersey. Much of the housing stock in Jersey City was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Housing costs in Jersey City are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

Also of interest is that Jersey City has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Jersey City is also a city of artists. Jersey City has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Jersey City’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Jersey City telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 21.62% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Jersey City is one of the most attractive larger cities for people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. This makes it a good place to live for young singles in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting their professional careers. Although Jersey City is a large city, this demographic is significant enough that young professionals will find many others like themselves here, with really good opportunities for friendships, recreation, romance, and more.

Jersey City is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

One downside of living in Jersey City, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 36.97 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Jersey City is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the subway helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Jersey City area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Jersey City is a pretty powerful place. 53.13% of the adults in Jersey City have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Jersey City in 2022 was $57,746, which is middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $230,984 for a family of four. However, Jersey City contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Jersey City is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Jersey City home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Jersey City, accounting for 25.70% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Jersey City residents report their race to be Asian, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Jersey City include Italian, Irish, German, Egyptian, and Polish.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Jersey City's cultural character, accounting for 41.25% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Jersey City is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.