The fastest growing and declining towns in New Jersey are emblematic of broader shifts going on in the state, according to new Census data, released today.
Jersey City has gained nearly 15,000 residents since 2010, making it the fastest growing municipality in the state and a symbol of the Garden State's reinvigorated urban core. Even Newark, which had been in sharp decline for half a century, has seen significant growth in the last five years, furthering hope of a renaissance in the long-beleaguered city.
On the other side of the Ledger, Vernon, on the far northern corner of the state, has lost more than 1,000 residents. It's representative of the contraction of the state's once booming outer-ring suburbs, which have contracted in the years since the Great Recession in a reversal of a decades long trend.
The statistics were released today as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Estimates, an annual survey that tracks basic population figures in the years between the decennial Census. The estimates are not as exact as decennial Census figures, but do help reveal broad trends that emerge between the agency's massive 10-year counts.
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All told, approximately 187 municipalities lost population from 2010 to 2014, while 387 grew. But it's not by how much these municipalities rose and fell that's revealing, but rather where they are.
Large swaths of the counties that form the outer-ring suburbs around the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan regions have lost population over the last several years, while the municipalities in the closest to the cities, particularly in the northern half of the state, have experienced renewed growth.
It's part of a massive set of demographic shifts going on in New Jersey.
People are leaving the state in droves as Baby Boomers reach retirement age and residents and companies flee the state in search of lower taxes and cost-of-living.
Younger couples are gravitating toward older communities that have the infrastructure in place to support walkable downtowns with accessible mass transit to the city.
Sprawling office parks, once gems of real estate in New Jersey's suburbs, have fallen into decay as technology has outpaced them and the nature of the workforce has shifted.
And the Millennial generation recently became the first in state history with a majority-minority population, the signal of a shift that could occur statewide by the end of the next decade.
See how your town is doing using our interactive map below
Author's note: Princeton has technically made the largest population gain in New Jersey since 2010. But because this was due to the merger of Princeton Township and Princeton Borough, it was not included in the top five rankings.
Due to a Census data error, West Amwell is currently listed as having lost 1,000+ residents since 2010. The town has lost population, but not nearly that much. A map fix to reflect this is in the works.
Hover or tap on the towns to see more information.
Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.