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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Jersey City, NJ
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Jersey City profile


Living in Jersey City



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 286,670 people and 77 associated neighborhoods, Jersey City is the second largest community in New Jersey. Jersey City has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, 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 18.71% 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 is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Jersey City, the average commute to work is 37.03 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the city, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. In addition, it is also a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of Jersey City’s neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.

Like elsewhere in America, most people in Jersey City use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Jersey City‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the subway. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Jersey City, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Jersey City is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 51.89% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Jersey City in 2022 was $54,582, which is middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $218,328 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 27.18% 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, Polish, and Egyptian.

In addition, Jersey City has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (41.17%).

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