The 10 New Jersey Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in New Jersey have the largest African American population.

The Black community is one of the fastest growing communities in America this decade.

There are now 42 million people who identify as Black or African American living in America, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in New Jersey is 1,158,820 - at 12.5% of the total population of New Jersey.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census's race and ethnicity definition. As most scholars and historians agree, an increase in the diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted New Jersey? Which cities and towns in New Jersey have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in New Jersey with the largest African American population in 2023:

  1. East Orange
  2. Salem
  3. Trenton
  4. Newark
  5. Roselle
  6. Camden
  7. Pleasantville
  8. Plainfield
  9. Asbury Park
  10. Bridgeton

What's the blackest city in New Jersey? East Orange took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in New Jersey for 2023. See if it ranked as one of the most african american cities in America.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where New Jersey ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in New Jersey or the most diverse places in New Jersey.

The 10 Blackest Cities In New Jersey For 2023

1. East Orange

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 68,918
% African American: 80.73%
# Of African American Residents: 55,636
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.26%
More on East Orange: Real Estate | Data | Photos

East Orange, NJ

Source: Public domain

2. Salem

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,237
% African American: 63.05%
# Of African American Residents: 3,302
Percent Change Since 2010: 8.33%
More on Salem: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Salem, NJ

Source: Public domain

3. Trenton

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 90,097
% African American: 47.17%
# Of African American Residents: 42,500
Percent Change Since 2010: 1.7%
More on Trenton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Trenton, NJ

Source: Public domain

4. Newark

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 306,247
% African American: 46.47%
# Of African American Residents: 142,312
Percent Change Since 2010: 2.67%
More on Newark: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Newark, NJ

5. Roselle

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 22,511
% African American: 42.95%
# Of African American Residents: 9,669
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.75%
More on Roselle: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Roselle, NJ

6. Camden

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 72,381
% African American: 39.34%
# Of African American Residents: 28,478
Percent Change Since 2010: -19.73%
More on Camden: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Camden, NJ

7. Pleasantville

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 20,505
% African American: 37.65%
# Of African American Residents: 7,721
Percent Change Since 2010: -10.62%
More on Pleasantville: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Pleasantville, NJ

Source: Public domain

8. Plainfield

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 54,183
% African American: 35.88%
# Of African American Residents: 19,442
Percent Change Since 2010: -21.86%
More on Plainfield: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Plainfield, NJ

9. Asbury Park

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 15,305
% African American: 35.62%
# Of African American Residents: 5,451
Percent Change Since 2010: -37.45%
More on Asbury Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Asbury Park, NJ

10. Bridgeton

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 26,643
% African American: 33.35%
# Of African American Residents: 8,885
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.86%
More on Bridgeton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bridgeton, NJ

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In New Jersey With The Largest Black Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across New Jersey.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 188 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 80.7% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. East Orange took the distinction of being the most Black, while Little Silver was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in New Jersey ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across New Jersey

If you're looking for a breakdown of African American populations across New Jersey according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in New Jersey:

  1. Little Silver
  2. Union Beach
  3. Old Tappan

For more New Jersey reading, check out:

African American Population By City In New Jersey

Rank City % African American Population
1 East Orange 80.73% 68,918
2 Salem 63.05% 5,237
3 Trenton 47.17% 90,097
4 Newark 46.47% 306,247
5 Roselle 42.95% 22,511
6 Camden 39.34% 72,381
7 Pleasantville 37.65% 20,505
8 Plainfield 35.88% 54,183
9 Asbury Park 35.62% 15,305
10 Bridgeton 33.35% 26,643
11 Atlantic City 32.31% 38,481
12 Lindenwold 31.73% 21,048
13 Rahway 30.72% 29,582
14 Burlington 29.63% 9,800
15 Paulsboro 28.73% 6,234
16 Linden 28.49% 43,387
17 Pine Hill 28.29% 10,637
18 Englewood 25.43% 29,129
19 Clayton 25.4% 8,818
20 Paterson 23.69% 157,927
21 Somerdale 23.58% 5,476
22 Hackensack 23.11% 45,723
23 Clementon 22.77% 5,271
24 North Plainfield 21.1% 22,635
25 Jersey City 20.87% 287,146
26 Woodbury 20.44% 10,067
27 Prospect Park 19.35% 6,301
28 Glassboro 18.99% 20,284
29 Palmyra 18.13% 7,429
30 Elizabeth 16.88% 135,772
31 Millville 15.37% 27,946
32 Somers Point 15.23% 10,470
33 New Brunswick 14.15% 55,671
34 Matawan 13.44% 9,486
35 Collingswood 13.18% 14,087
36 Carteret 12.35% 25,077
37 South Plainfield 12.1% 24,251
38 Vineland 12.02% 61,442
39 Long Branch 12.01% 31,734
40 Somerville 11.85% 12,453
41 Manville 11.68% 10,861
42 Sayreville 11.45% 45,062
43 Highland Park 11.07% 14,947
44 Newton 10.58% 8,423
45 South Amboy 10.34% 9,320
46 Phillipsburg 9.83% 15,146
47 Haledon 9.76% 8,936
48 Absecon 9.46% 9,039
49 Dover 9.18% 18,418
50 Roselle Park 8.83% 13,973
51 Lodi 8.73% 25,983
52 Freehold 8.7% 12,485
53 Bayonne 8.56% 70,553
54 Wildwood 8.55% 5,113
55 Dunellen 8.52% 7,580
56 Bogota 8.44% 8,830
57 Red Bank 8.3% 12,825
58 Tinton Falls 8.22% 19,053
59 Boonton 8.0% 8,770
60 Berlin 8.0% 7,484
61 Stratford 7.91% 6,967
62 Bergenfield 7.89% 28,282
63 Keansburg 7.81% 9,781
64 South River 7.81% 16,087
65 Eato 7.56% 13,446
66 Runnemede 7.31% 8,316
67 Morristown 7.18% 20,003
68 Gloucester City 7.13% 11,438
69 Summit 6.95% 22,598
70 Hasbrouck Heights 6.85% 12,120
71 Woodland Park 6.82% 13,265
72 Passaic 6.43% 70,308
73 East Rutherford 6.29% 9,918
74 Elmwood Park 6.02% 21,239
75 Hawthorne 6.01% 19,507
76 Perth Amboy 5.9% 55,046
77 Kenilworth 5.41% 8,377
78 Florham Park 5.18% 12,655
79 Caldwell 5.15% 8,800
80 Maywood 5.13% 10,049
81 Metuchen 5.12% 14,883
82 West Long Branch 5.1% 8,470
83 Garfield 4.93% 32,481
84 North Haledon 4.89% 8,893
85 Totowa 4.82% 11,013
86 Middlesex 4.7% 14,513
87 Fanwood 4.61% 7,727
88 Belmar 4.55% 5,869
89 Edgewater 4.28% 14,234
90 Bound Brook 4.13% 11,799
91 Clifton 4.07% 89,460
92 Secaucus 4.05% 21,439
93 Beachwood 4.04% 10,863
94 Bloomingdale 3.81% 7,759
95 Wood-Ridge 3.72% 9,865
96 Kearny 3.7% 41,790
97 Ventnor City 3.65% 9,333
98 Wallington 3.53% 11,833
99 Ridgefield Park 3.39% 13,202
100 Closter 3.36% 8,573

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in New Jersey with the largest African American population.
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.