Mercer County, NJ

County

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2024 Population

385,864

US Senator

Cory Booker

Democratic Party

US Senator

Andy Kim

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

39.5

0.765% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.3%

7.22% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$100,645

4.48% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$377,700

7.61% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

190,020

2.11% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Mercer County, NJ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

85.4% of the residents in Mercer County, NJ are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Mercer County, NJ are Princeton University (2,390 degrees awarded in 2023), The College of New Jersey (2,161 degrees), and Thomas Edison State University (2,026 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Mercer County, NJ was $377,700, and the homeownership rate was 62.2%.

Most people in Mercer County, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Mercer County, NJ was 2 cars per household.

Mercer County, NJ borders Burlington County, NJ, Hunterdon County, NJ, Middlesex County, NJ, Monmouth County, NJ, Somerset County, NJ, and Bucks County, PA.

About the photo: State Capitol Rotunda, Trenton, NJ

Photo by Peter Miller

United States New Jersey Trenton, NJ

Population & Diversity

Mercer County, NJ is home to a population of 386k people, from which 85.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 26.9% of Mercer County, NJ residents were born outside of the country (104k people).

In 2024, there were 2.39 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (165k people) in Mercer County, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 69.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 47.6k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

85.4%

2024 Citizenship

86.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 85.4% of Mercer County, NJ residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mercer County, NJ was 86.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Mercer County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mercer County, NJ

White (Non-Hispanic)
165k ± 602
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
69.1k ± 1.03k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
47.6k ± 640

23.1%

Hispanic Population

89.1k people

23.1% of the people in Mercer County, NJ are hispanic (89.1k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mercer County, NJ as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New Jersey.

Most Common Origin

India
273,706 ± 12,653 people
Dominican Republic
205,965 ± 11,018 people
Mexico
107,667 ± 8,009 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New Jersey was India, the natal country of 273,706 New Jersey residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 205,965 and Mexico with 107,667.

Foreign-Born Population

26.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

104k people

25.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

98k people

As of 2024, 26.9% of Mercer County, NJ residents (104k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Mercer County, NJ was 25.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Mercer County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
3,220 ± 464
Gulf War (2001-)
2,263 ± 579
Gulf War (1990s)
1,398 ± 286

Mercer County, NJ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.42 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Mercer County, NJ.

Economy

The economy of Mercer County, NJ employs 190k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mercer County, NJ were Educational Services (26,564 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (23,679 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (20,050 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($135,491), Finance & Insurance ($115,222), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($110,343).

Employment

Occupations

190k

2024 Value

± 3,923

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 2.88%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mercer County, NJ grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 186k employees to 190k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mercer County, NJ, are Management Occupations (24,840 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (20,584 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (16,383 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mercer County, NJ.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New Jersey (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

190k

2024 Value

± 3,923

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 2.88%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mercer County, NJ grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 186k employees to 190k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mercer County, NJ, are Educational Services (26,564 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (23,679 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (20,050 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mercer County, NJ, though some of these residents may live in Mercer County, NJ and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$63,156

Median earning men ± $3,573

$50,366

Median earning women ± $1,284

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($150,082), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($106,484), and Information ($104,176).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($80,938), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,538), and Manufacturing ($75,114).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

Y-Axis

2.27%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.24M people employed in New Jersey. This represents a 2.27% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 16.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New Jersey.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

995
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
627
Other Services (except Public Administration)
569
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$3.11M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$2.38M
Wholesale Trade
$2.36M
Finance and Insurance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Mercer County, NJ awarded 9,094 degrees. The student population of Mercer County, NJ in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 17,193 male students and 18,083 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Mercer County, NJ are White (4,467 and 53.4%), Hispanic or Latino (1,173 and 14%), Black or African American (905 and 10.8%), and Asian (860 and 10.3%).

The largest universities in Mercer County, NJ by number of degrees awarded are Princeton University (2,390 and 26.3%), The College of New Jersey (2,161 and 23.8%), and Thomas Edison State University (2,026 and 22.3%).

The most popular majors in Mercer County, NJ are General Business Administration & Management (774 and 8.51%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (545 and 5.99%), and Other Multidisciplinary Studies (521 and 5.73%).

The median tuition costs in Mercer County, NJ are $48,705 for private four year colleges, and $10,672 and $14,594 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Mercer County, NJ, the percentage of applicants admitted was 26.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 22.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 35,276 (48.7% men and 51.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 35,276 students enrolled in Mercer County, NJ, 48.7% men and 51.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 15,250 records, of which 49% were women and 51% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
442 degrees awarded
Other Multidisciplinary Studies
418 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
298 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Mercer County, NJ was General Business Administration & Management with 442 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Mercer County, NJ according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Princeton University
2,390 degrees awarded
The College of New Jersey
2,161 degrees awarded
Thomas Edison State University
2,026 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Princeton University with 2,390 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 4,227 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Mercer County, NJ, which is 0.869 times less than the 4,867 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 4,467 degrees mean that there were 3.81 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,173 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($48,705) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($4,472) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,464) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mercer County, NJ was $377,700 in 2024, which is 1.14 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $351,000 to $377,700, a 7.61% increase. The homeownership rate in Mercer County, NJ is 62.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mercer County, NJ have an average commute time of 27.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mercer County, NJ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 18.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mercer County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.17%.

Housing

Property

$377,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,110

$89,569

Median Property Taxes

±$2,115

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Mercer County, NJ the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Mercer County, NJ compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

62.2%

Homeownership

2024

61%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.2% of the housing units in Mercer County, NJ were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 61.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mercer County, NJ compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$100,645

Median Household Income

± $2,565

144k

Number of Households

± 3,482

In 2024, the median household income of the 144k households in Mercer County, NJ grew to $100,645 from the previous year's value of $96,333.

The following chart displays the households in Mercer County, NJ distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Mercer County, NJ is from New Jersey.

0.486

2023 Wage GINI in New Jersey

0.489

2022 Wage GINI in New Jersey

In 2023, the income inequality in New Jersey was 0.486 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.709% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New Jersey was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New Jersey in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New Jersey across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (60.2%)
Worked At Home (19.5%)
Carpooled (8.75%)

In 2024, 60.2% of workers in Mercer County, NJ drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.5%) and those who carpooled to work (8.75%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

27.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mercer County, NJ have a longer commute time (27.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.65% of the workforce in Mercer County, NJ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Mercer County, NJ compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Mercer County, NJ distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Mercer County, NJ have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 18.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mercer County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.17%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mercer County, NJ (37.8k out of 368k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mercer County, NJ is Hispanic, followed by Black and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.1% of the children was living in poverty in Mercer County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 375 in Mercer County, NJ. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 74 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.1% of the population of Mercer County, NJ has health coverage, with 54.4% on employee plans, 15.5% on Medicaid, 11.8% on Medicare, 10% on non-group plans, and 0.407% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Mercer County, NJ see 1,106 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,106 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1182 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 244 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,106 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Mercer County, NJ

Primary care physicians in Mercer County, NJ see an average of 1,106 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,106 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Mercer County, NJ in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.9% under 18 years, 21% between 18 and 34 years, 39.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.88%

Uninsured

54.4%

Employer Coverage

15.5%

Medicaid

11.8%

Medicare

10%

Non-Group

0.407%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Mercer County, NJ grew by 3.28% from 7.63% to 7.88%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Mercer County, NJ changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 46.7 in Mercer County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Mercer County, NJ.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 30.7% in Mercer County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Mercer County, NJ.