Cities with highest divorce rate in New Jersey research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze New Jersey’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in New Jersey based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in New Jersey is Paulsboro based on the most recent Census data.
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Paulsboro is 11.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in New Jersey is Allendale.
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Allendale is 0.0% Divorced.
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New Jersey is 4.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 295,970 people living in New Jersey over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2024.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Garden State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in New Jersey with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In New Jersey With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in New Jersey with the highest divorce rate? That would be Paulsboro, with 11.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall New Jersey divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in New Jersey is 4.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in New Jersey.
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
- Worst Places To Live In New Jersey
- Best Places To Live In New Jersey
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In New Jersey For 2024
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Population: 6,195
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 545
Median Income: $58,271
More on Paulsboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 15,206
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 1,338
Median Income: $64,130
More on Phillipsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,884
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 870
Median Income: $112,056
More on Lincoln Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 11,435
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 823
Median Income: $71,756
More on Gloucester City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,017
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 505
Median Income: $125,043
More on Mil: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 14,732
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 942
Median Income: $79,747
More on Hammonton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 19,024
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 1,217
Median Income: $106,203
More on Point Pleasant: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,188
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 460
Median Income: $75,709
More on Keyport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In New Jersey That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2018-2022 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 190 places in New Jersey with a population of over 5,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of New Jersey the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Paulsboro.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Allendale, the city with the lowest divorce rate in New Jersey.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in New Jersey with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In New Jersey After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In New Jersey: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Garden State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in New Jersey are Paulsboro, Phillipsburg, Clementon, Lincoln Park, Salem, Gloucester City, Mil, Hammonton, Point Pleasant, and Keyport.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in New Jersey could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
- Worst Places To Live In New Jersey
- Best Places To Live In New Jersey
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In New Jersey
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paulsboro, NJ | 6,195 | 545 | 11.0% |
| 2 | Phillipsburg, NJ | 15,206 | 1,338 | 11.0% |
| 3 | Clementon, NJ | 5,312 | 424 | 10.0% |
| 4 | Lincoln Park, NJ | 10,884 | 870 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Salem, NJ | 5,285 | 380 | 9.0% |
| 6 | Gloucester City, NJ | 11,435 | 823 | 9.0% |
| 7 | Mil, NJ | 7,017 | 505 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Hammonton, NJ | 14,732 | 942 | 8.0% |
| 9 | Point Pleasant, NJ | 19,024 | 1,217 | 8.0% |
| 10 | Keyport, NJ | 7,188 | 460 | 8.0% |
| 11 | Burlington, NJ | 9,833 | 629 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Mount Arlington, NJ | 5,863 | 328 | 7.0% |
| 13 | Manville, NJ | 10,892 | 609 | 7.0% |
| 14 | Kenilworth, NJ | 8,345 | 467 | 7.0% |
| 15 | Newton, NJ | 8,370 | 468 | 7.0% |
| 16 | Millville, NJ | 27,523 | 1,541 | 7.0% |
| 17 | South Amboy, NJ | 9,336 | 522 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Northfield, NJ | 8,432 | 472 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Hawthorne, NJ | 19,456 | 1,089 | 7.0% |
| 20 | Bellmawr, NJ | 11,677 | 653 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Manasquan, NJ | 5,921 | 331 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Belmar, NJ | 5,877 | 329 | 7.0% |
| 23 | Lindenwold, NJ | 21,337 | 1,194 | 7.0% |
| 24 | Carlstadt, NJ | 6,341 | 304 | 6.0% |
| 25 | Butler, NJ | 8,045 | 386 | 6.0% |
| 26 | Red Bank, NJ | 12,868 | 617 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Clayton, NJ | 8,801 | 422 | 6.0% |
| 28 | Washington, NJ | 7,240 | 347 | 6.0% |
| 29 | Boonton, NJ | 8,781 | 421 | 6.0% |
| 30 | Hopatcong, NJ | 14,411 | 691 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Audubon, NJ | 8,695 | 417 | 6.0% |
| 32 | Brigantine, NJ | 7,784 | 373 | 6.0% |
| 33 | Beachwood, NJ | 10,933 | 524 | 6.0% |
| 34 | Tinton Falls, NJ | 19,180 | 920 | 6.0% |
| 35 | Caldwell, NJ | 8,897 | 427 | 6.0% |
| 36 | Pine Hill, NJ | 10,698 | 513 | 6.0% |
| 37 | Eato, NJ | 13,522 | 649 | 6.0% |
| 38 | Somers Point, NJ | 10,482 | 503 | 6.0% |
| 39 | Keansburg, NJ | 9,761 | 468 | 6.0% |
| 40 | Watchung, NJ | 6,417 | 308 | 6.0% |
| 41 | Union Beach, NJ | 5,751 | 276 | 6.0% |
| 42 | East Rutherford, NJ | 10,020 | 480 | 6.0% |
| 43 | Long Branch, NJ | 31,932 | 1,277 | 5.0% |
| 44 | Middlesex, NJ | 14,525 | 581 | 5.0% |
| 45 | Somerdale, NJ | 5,524 | 220 | 5.0% |
| 46 | Florham Park, NJ | 12,790 | 511 | 5.0% |
| 47 | Woodbury, NJ | 9,981 | 399 | 5.0% |
| 48 | Hackett, NJ | 10,111 | 404 | 5.0% |
| 49 | Trenton, NJ | 90,055 | 3,602 | 5.0% |
| 50 | Haledon, NJ | 8,945 | 357 | 5.0% |
| 51 | Rahway, NJ | 29,664 | 1,186 | 5.0% |
| 52 | Woodland Park, NJ | 13,291 | 531 | 5.0% |
| 53 | Spotswood, NJ | 8,136 | 325 | 5.0% |
| 54 | Vineland, NJ | 60,796 | 2,431 | 5.0% |
| 55 | Pleasantville, NJ | 20,562 | 822 | 5.0% |
| 56 | Barrington, NJ | 7,022 | 280 | 5.0% |
| 57 | Runnemede, NJ | 8,307 | 332 | 5.0% |
| 58 | Matawan, NJ | 9,546 | 381 | 5.0% |
| 59 | Pitman, NJ | 8,805 | 352 | 5.0% |
| 60 | Bloomingdale, NJ | 7,726 | 309 | 5.0% |
| 61 | Bernardsville, NJ | 7,888 | 315 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Absecon, NJ | 9,086 | 363 | 5.0% |
| 63 | Linwood, NJ | 6,952 | 278 | 5.0% |
| 64 | Rockaway, NJ | 6,589 | 263 | 5.0% |
| 65 | Dunellen, NJ | 7,598 | 303 | 5.0% |
| 66 | Oceanport, NJ | 6,119 | 195 | 4.0% |
| 67 | Clifton, NJ | 89,451 | 2,862 | 4.0% |
| 68 | Collingswood, NJ | 14,135 | 452 | 4.0% |
| 69 | Bound Brook, NJ | 11,906 | 380 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Roselle Park, NJ | 13,964 | 446 | 4.0% |
| 71 | Totowa, NJ | 10,975 | 351 | 4.0% |
| 72 | Westwood, NJ | 11,241 | 359 | 4.0% |
| 73 | North Arlington, NJ | 16,352 | 523 | 4.0% |
| 74 | Asbury Park, NJ | 15,245 | 487 | 4.0% |
| 75 | Sayreville, NJ | 45,136 | 1,444 | 4.0% |
| 76 | Camden, NJ | 71,799 | 2,297 | 4.0% |
| 77 | Dumont, NJ | 18,014 | 576 | 4.0% |
| 78 | Pompton Lakes, NJ | 11,052 | 353 | 4.0% |
| 79 | Jamesburg, NJ | 5,783 | 185 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Wharton, NJ | 7,217 | 230 | 4.0% |
| 81 | Bayonne, NJ | 70,497 | 2,255 | 4.0% |
| 82 | Berlin, NJ | 7,489 | 239 | 4.0% |
| 83 | Ridgefield Park, NJ | 13,161 | 421 | 4.0% |
| 84 | Somerville, NJ | 12,467 | 398 | 4.0% |
| 85 | Morris Plains, NJ | 6,104 | 195 | 4.0% |
| 86 | Morristown, NJ | 20,126 | 644 | 4.0% |
| 87 | Lodi, NJ | 25,969 | 831 | 4.0% |
| 88 | Atlantic City, NJ | 38,487 | 1,231 | 4.0% |
| 89 | South River, NJ | 16,081 | 514 | 4.0% |
| 90 | Roseland, NJ | 6,221 | 199 | 4.0% |
| 91 | Kinnelon, NJ | 9,986 | 319 | 4.0% |
| 92 | South Plainfield, NJ | 24,273 | 776 | 4.0% |
| 93 | Ocean City, NJ | 11,260 | 360 | 4.0% |
| 94 | Palmyra, NJ | 7,437 | 237 | 4.0% |
| 95 | Ramsey, NJ | 14,739 | 471 | 4.0% |
| 96 | Madison, NJ | 16,521 | 528 | 4.0% |
| 97 | Bridgeton, NJ | 26,895 | 860 | 4.0% |
| 98 | Rumson, NJ | 7,285 | 233 | 4.0% |
| 99 | Hillsdale, NJ | 10,125 | 243 | 3.0% |
| 100 | East Orange, NJ | 68,879 | 1,653 | 3.0% |
