There are 21 counties in the U.S. state of New Jersey. These counties together contain 564 municipalities, or administrative entities composed of clearly defined territory; 252 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 241 townships, and 4 villages.[1] In New Jersey, a county is a local level of government between the state and municipalities. County government in New Jersey includes a Board of County Commissioners,[2] sheriff, clerk, and surrogate (responsible for uncontested and routine probate),[3] all of which are elected officials. Counties organized under the Optional County Charter Law may also have an elected county executive.[4] Counties traditionally perform state-mandated duties such as the maintenance of jails, parks, and certain roads.[5] The site of a county's administration and courts is called the county seat.
New Jersey was governed by two groups of proprietors as two distinct provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702. New Jersey's first counties were created as administrative districts within each province, with East Jersey split in 1675 into Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, while West Jersey's initial counties of Burlington and Salem date to 1681.[6][7] The most recent county created in New Jersey is Union County, created in 1857 and named after the union of the United States when the Civil War was imminent. New Jersey's county names derive from several sources, though most of its counties are named after place names in England and prominent leaders in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Bergen County is the most populous county—as of the 2010 Census—with 905,116 people, while Salem County is the least populous with 66,083 people.
Until the 1960s, the New Jersey Senate had 21 representatives, one from each county regardless of population. In the wake of the 1964 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Reynolds v. Sims, establishing the one man, one vote principle that state legislative districts must be approximately equal in size, David Friedland filed suit in New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of two union leaders, challenging a system under which each county was represented by a single member in the New Jersey Senate. The court ruled unanimously that the existing system was unconstitutional, ordered that interim measures be established by statute for the 1965 legislative elections, and ordered that the needed constitutional changes to restructure the New Jersey Legislature to be in compliance with "one man, one vote" requirements be in place before elections took place in 1967.[8] The senate unilaterally—by internal rule, not by statute—enacted a proposal whereby each senator's vote would be weighted based on the population of the county represented, under which Cape May County's senator would receive one vote while the senator from Essex County would receive 19.1 votes, in direct relation to the ratio of residents between counties.[9] The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that it was unconstitutional for the senate to adopt a weighted voting system unilaterally.[9][10] In 1966, the constitution was amended to establish 40 districts statewide, each represented by one senator and two assembly members, without relation to county boundaries.[11]
FIPS code
New Jersey counties by population as of 2020 with darker colors indicating a higher population
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. FIPS codes are five-digit numbers; for New Jersey the codes start with 34 and are completed with the three-digit county code. The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county.[12]
^. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
^Coppa, Frank J. (2000). County government: a guide to efficient and accountable government. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 39–40. ISBN978-0-275-96829-8. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
^Coppa, County government, p. 165 2014-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
^Coppa, County government, p. 108 2014-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
^. National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
^ ab(PDF). New Jersey Association of Election Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-24. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
^ abTorp, Kim (2006). "New Jersey County Formation". Genealogy Trails. from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
^Jackman v. Bodine, 43 N.J. 453 (November 25, 1964).
^ abWright, George Cable (December 16, 1964). "Weighted Voting Voided in Jersey; State's Highest Court Bars Senate's Plan—No Ruling on Its Constitutionality". The New York Times. from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
^Jackman v. Bodine, 205 A. 2d 735 (December 15, 1964).
^"New Jersey State Constitution 1947". November 2020. Art. IV § II and art. XI § V (amended December 8, 1966). Retrieved July 2, 2023.
^ ab. US Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
^ abc. National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^"Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2010 and 2017" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Health. (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
^Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names 2015-11-15 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed November 14, 2015.
^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Jersey". from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
^Greenberg, Gail (August 30, 2009). . Camden County Board of Freeholders. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
^. Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
^. Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
^. Morris County Library. July 26, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
External links
2010 Census: New Jersey Profile
August 21, 2023
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There are 21 counties in the U S state of New Jersey These counties together contain 564 municipalities or administrative entities composed of clearly defined territory 252 boroughs 52 cities 15 towns 241 townships and 4 villages 1 In New Jersey a county is a local level of government between the state and municipalities County government in New Jersey includes a Board of County Commissioners 2 sheriff clerk and surrogate responsible for uncontested and routine probate 3 all of which are elected officials Counties organized under the Optional County Charter Law may also have an elected county executive 4 Counties traditionally perform state mandated duties such as the maintenance of jails parks and certain roads 5 The site of a county s administration and courts is called the county seat Counties of New JerseyA clickable New Jersey county mapClickable map of New Jersey countiesLocationNew JerseyNumber21Populations65 117 Salem 952 997 Bergen Areas47 square miles 120 km2 Hudson 805 square miles 2 080 km2 Burlington GovernmentCounty governmentSubdivisionsBoroughs cities towns townships and villages Contents 1 History 2 New Jersey legislature representation 3 FIPS code 4 List of counties 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditSee also History of New Jersey New Jersey was governed by two groups of proprietors as two distinct provinces East Jersey and West Jersey between 1674 and 1702 New Jersey s first counties were created as administrative districts within each province with East Jersey split in 1675 into Bergen Essex Middlesex and Monmouth counties while West Jersey s initial counties of Burlington and Salem date to 1681 6 7 The most recent county created in New Jersey is Union County created in 1857 and named after the union of the United States when the Civil War was imminent New Jersey s county names derive from several sources though most of its counties are named after place names in England and prominent leaders in the colonial and revolutionary periods Bergen County is the most populous county as of the 2010 Census with 905 116 people while Salem County is the least populous with 66 083 people New Jersey legislature representation Edit Interactive map of counties in New Jersey Until the 1960s the New Jersey Senate had 21 representatives one from each county regardless of population In the wake of the 1964 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Reynolds v Sims establishing the one man one vote principle that state legislative districts must be approximately equal in size David Friedland filed suit in New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of two union leaders challenging a system under which each county was represented by a single member in the New Jersey Senate The court ruled unanimously that the existing system was unconstitutional ordered that interim measures be established by statute for the 1965 legislative elections and ordered that the needed constitutional changes to restructure the New Jersey Legislature to be in compliance with one man one vote requirements be in place before elections took place in 1967 8 The senate unilaterally by internal rule not by statute enacted a proposal whereby each senator s vote would be weighted based on the population of the county represented under which Cape May County s senator would receive one vote while the senator from Essex County would receive 19 1 votes in direct relation to the ratio of residents between counties 9 The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that it was unconstitutional for the senate to adopt a weighted voting system unilaterally 9 10 In 1966 the constitution was amended to establish 40 districts statewide each represented by one senator and two assembly members without relation to county boundaries 11 FIPS code Edit New Jersey counties by population as of 2020 with darker colors indicating a higher populationThe Federal Information Processing Standard FIPS code used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties is provided with each entry FIPS codes are five digit numbers for New Jersey the codes start with 34 and are completed with the three digit county code The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county 12 List of counties EditCounty FIPS code 12 County seat 13 Largest City 14 Est 13 Formed from 6 7 Named for 15 Density per mi2 Pop 16 Area 13 Map Atlantic County 001 Mays Landing Egg Harbor Township 47 842 1837 Gloucester County The Atlantic Ocean which forms the county s eastern border 491 33 275 638 561 sq mi 1 453 km2 Bergen County 003 Hackensack Hackensack 46 030 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey Bergen New Netherland settlement 4 072 64 952 997 234 sq mi 606 km2 Burlington County 005 Mount Holly Evesham Township 46 826 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey The old ancient name for an inland market near Bridlington England 579 01 466 103 805 sq mi 2 085 km2 Camden County 007 Camden Cherry Hill 74 553 1844 Gloucester County Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden 1714 1794 an English supporter of the colonists during the American Revolution 17 2 364 45 524 907 222 sq mi 575 km2 Cape May County 009 Cape May Court House Lower Township 22 057 1692 Burlington County The 17th century Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and surveyed the Delaware Bay to the south of the county 375 04 95 634 255 sq mi 660 km2 Cumberland County 011 Bridgeton Vineland 60 780 1748 Salem County Prince William Duke of Cumberland 1721 1765 second son of George II of Great Britain and military victor at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 309 52 151 356 489 sq mi 1 267 km2 Essex County 013 Newark Newark 311 549 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The county of Essex in England 6 785 06 849 477 126 sq mi 326 km2 Gloucester County 015 Woodbury Washington Township 48 677 1686 Burlington County The city of Gloucester England 943 39 306 601 325 sq mi 842 km2 Hudson County 017 Jersey City Jersey City 292 449 1840 Bergen County The English explorer Henry Hudson d 1611 who explored portions of New Jersey s coastline 14 965 23 703 366 47 sq mi 122 km2 Hunterdon County 019 Flemington Raritan Township 23 447 1714 Burlington County Robert Hunter 1664 1734 the Colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1710 to 1720 301 81 129 777 430 sq mi 1 114 km2 Mercer County 021 Trenton Hamilton Township 92 297 1838 Burlington County Hunterdon County Middlesex County and Somerset County The Continental Army General Hugh Mercer 1726 1777 who died at the Battle of Princeton 18 1 684 46 380 688 226 sq mi 585 km2 Middlesex County 023 New Brunswick Edison 107 588 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The historic county of Middlesex in England 2 769 83 861 418 311 sq mi 805 km2 Monmouth County 025 Freehold Borough Middletown Township 67 106 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The historic county of Monmouthshire in Wales 1 364 61 644 098 472 sq mi 1 222 km2 Morris County 027 Morristown Parsippany Troy Hills 56 162 1739 Hunterdon County Colonel Lewis Morris 1671 1746 colonial governor of New Jersey at the time of the county s formation 19 20 1 089 87 511 151 469 sq mi 1 215 km2 Ocean County 029 Toms River Lakewood Township 135 158 1850 Monmouth County and Burlington County The Atlantic Ocean which forms the eastern border of New Jersey 1 031 03 655 735 636 sq mi 1 647 km2 Passaic County 031 Paterson Paterson 159 732 1837 Bergen County and Essex County Pasaeck a Lenape word meaning valley 2 778 03 513 936 185 sq mi 479 km2 Salem County 033 Salem Pennsville Township 12 684 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey A Hebrew word meaning peace 192 65 65 117 338 sq mi 875 km2 Somerset County 035 Somerville Franklin Township 68 364 1688 Middlesex County The county of Somerset in England 1 137 30 346 875 305 sq mi 790 km2 Sussex County 037 Newton Vernon Township 22 358 1753 Morris County The county of Sussex in England 280 39 146 084 521 sq mi 1 349 km2 Union County 039 Elizabeth Elizabeth 137 298 1857 Essex County The union of the United States which was being threatened by the dispute over slavery 5 532 18 569 815 103 sq mi 267 km2 Warren County 041 Belvidere Phillipsburg 15 249 1824 Sussex County The American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren 1741 1775 killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill 309 85 110 926 358 sq mi 927 km2 See also Edit New Jersey portalList of townships in New Jersey County courthouses in New Jersey List of United States counties and county equivalents Metropolitan statistical areas of New Jersey each New Jersey county is included in a metropolitan statistical area as defined by the federal Office of Management and BudgetReferences Edit New Jersey Place and County Subdivision U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on November 22 2009 Retrieved September 6 2009 Coppa Frank J 2000 County government a guide to efficient and accountable government Greenwood Publishing Group pp 39 40 ISBN 978 0 275 96829 8 Retrieved August 31 2009 Coppa County government p 165 Archived 2014 07 05 at the Wayback Machine Coppa County government p 108 Archived 2014 07 05 at the Wayback Machine An Overview of County Government National Association of Counties Archived from the original on April 17 2013 Retrieved February 1 2011 a b County Formation Map PDF New Jersey Association of Election Officials Archived from the original PDF on 2007 07 24 Retrieved August 30 2009 a b Torp Kim 2006 New Jersey County Formation Genealogy Trails Archived from the original on March 17 2021 Retrieved August 30 2009 Jackman v Bodine 43 N J 453 November 25 1964 a b Wright George Cable December 16 1964 Weighted Voting Voided in Jersey State s Highest Court Bars Senate s Plan No Ruling on Its Constitutionality The New York Times Archived from the original on December 15 2020 Retrieved September 1 2009 Jackman v Bodine 205 A 2d 735 December 15 1964 New Jersey State Constitution 1947 November 2020 Art IV II and art XI V amended December 8 1966 Retrieved July 2 2023 a b County FIPS Code Listing for the State of New Jersey US Environmental Protection Agency Archived from the original on July 1 2016 Retrieved May 27 2016 a b c NACo Find a county National Association of Counties Archived from the original on January 12 2008 Retrieved January 25 2008 Population Density by County and Municipality New Jersey 2010 and 2017 PDF New Jersey Department of Health Archived PDF from the original on October 19 2020 Retrieved October 28 2020 Hutchinson Viola L The Origin of New Jersey Place Names Archived 2015 11 15 at the Wayback Machine New Jersey Public Library Commission May 1945 Accessed November 14 2015 U S Census Bureau QuickFacts New Jersey Archived from the original on 2021 10 24 Retrieved 2023 04 05 Greenberg Gail August 30 2009 A Brief History of Camden County Camden County Board of Freeholders Archived from the original on June 23 2009 Retrieved August 31 2009 History Mercer County Cultural amp Heritage Commission Archived from the original on February 21 2009 Retrieved August 31 2009 The Land Past and Present Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders Archived from the original on August 22 2009 Retrieved August 30 2009 How did our county get its name Morris County Library July 26 2008 Archived from the original on February 23 2009 Retrieved August 31 2009 External links Edit2010 Census New Jersey Profile Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of counties in New Jersey amp oldid 1167459380, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
