Plainfield, NJ

Census Place

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2024 Population
55,236
US Senator
Cory Booker
Democratic Party
US Senator
Andy Kim
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
32.4
1.82% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
15.5%
9.63% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$85,908
6.94% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$410,800
7.17% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
27,458
2.64% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Plainfield, 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.

67.9% of the residents in Plainfield, NJ are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Plainfield, NJ are JFK Muhlenberg Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools (182 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Plainfield, NJ was $410,800, and the homeownership rate was 44.8%.

Most people in Plainfield, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Plainfield, NJ was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNew JerseyUnion County, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PAMiddlesex County (Northwest)--North Piscataway & South Plainfield PUMA, NJSomerset County (Central)--Bridgewater, Somerville & North Plainfield PUMA, NJUnion County (Southwest)--Plainfield & Westfield PUMA, NJ

Population & Diversity

Plainfield, NJ is home to a population of 55.2k people, from which 67.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 41.9% of Plainfield, NJ residents were born outside of the country (23.1k people).

In 2024, there were 1.42 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (25.5k people) in Plainfield, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 18k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.63k White (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

67.9%
2024 Citizenship
68.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 67.9% of Plainfield, NJ residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Plainfield, NJ was 68.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Plainfield, NJ
  1. Other (Hispanic)
    25.5k ± 1.51k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    18k ± 1.39k
  3. White (Non-Hispanic)
    3.63k ± 613
57.1%
Hispanic Population
31.6k people

In 2024, there were 1.42 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (25.5k people) in Plainfield, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 18k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.63k White (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

57.1% of the people in Plainfield, NJ are hispanic (31.6k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for New Jersey.
Most Common Origin
  1. India
    273,706 ± 12,653 people
  2. Dominican Republic
    205,965 ± 11,018 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

41.9%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
23.1k people
41.4%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
22.5k people

As of 2024, 41.9% of Plainfield, NJ residents (23.1k 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 Plainfield, NJ was 41.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    270 ± 105
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    158 ± 88
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    96 ± 90

Plainfield, NJ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.71 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Plainfield, NJ employs 27.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Plainfield, NJ were Construction (3,418 people), Transportation & Warehousing (3,059 people), and Manufacturing (2,965 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($101,250), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($83,385), and Public Administration ($70,705).

Employment

Occupations

27.5k
2024 Value
± 1,381
2.64%
1 Year growth
± 7.27%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Plainfield, NJ grew at a rate of 2.64%, from 26.8k employees to 27.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Plainfield, NJ, are Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (3,096 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (3,058 people), and Production Occupations (2,701 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Plainfield, NJ.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

27.5k
2024 Value
± 1,381
2.64%
1 Year growth
± 7.27%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Plainfield, NJ grew at a rate of 2.64%, from 26.8k employees to 27.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Plainfield, NJ, are Construction (3,418 people), Transportation & Warehousing (3,059 people), and Manufacturing (2,965 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Plainfield, NJ, though some of these residents may live in Plainfield, NJ and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$37,910
Median earning men ± $2,382
$31,334
Median earning women ± $1,351

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($71,409), Information ($65,585), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($60,414).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($71,512), Public Administration ($61,094), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($53,043).

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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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Plainfield, NJ awarded 182 degrees. The student population of Plainfield, NJ in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 80 male students and 492 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Plainfield, NJ are White (61 and 33.5%), Black or African American (48 and 26.4%), Hispanic or Latino (36 and 19.8%), and Asian (22 and 12.1%).

The largest universities in Plainfield, NJ by number of degrees awarded are JFK Muhlenberg Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools (182 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Plainfield, NJ are Registered Nursing (160 and 87.9%), Radiographer (13 and 7.14%), and Diagnostic Medical Sonography & Ultrasound Technician (9 and 4.95%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2023 in Plainfield, NJ, the percentage of applicants admitted was 96.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 572 (14% men and 86% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 572 students enrolled in Plainfield, NJ, 14% men and 86% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 150 records, of which 88% were women and 12% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    160 degrees awarded
  2. Radiographer
    13 degrees awarded
  3. Diagnostic Medical Sonography & Ultrasound Technician
    9 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 2 to 4 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Plainfield, NJ was Registered Nursing with 160 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 2 to 4 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Plainfield, NJ according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
JFK Muhlenberg Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
182 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was JFK Muhlenberg Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools with 182 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 26 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Plainfield, NJ, which is 0.167 times less than the 156 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 61 degrees mean that there were 1.27 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 48 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($6,420) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($18,496) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($789) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Plainfield, NJ was $410,800 in 2024, which is 1.23 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $383,300 to $410,800, a 7.17% increase. The homeownership rate in Plainfield, NJ is 44.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Plainfield, NJ have an average commute time of 29.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Plainfield, NJ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$410,800
Median Property Value 2024
±$14,895
$7,125
Median Property Taxes
±$457

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 Plainfield, NJ the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

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Rent vs Own

44.8%
Homeownership
2024
61%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 44.8% of the housing units in Plainfield, NJ were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 42.4%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$85,908
Median Household Income
± $3,620
15.9k
Number of Households
± 1,024

In 2024, the median household income of the 15.9k households in Plainfield, NJ grew to $85,908 from the previous year's value of $80,334.

The following chart displays the households in Plainfield, 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 $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Plainfield, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (58%)
  2. Other (18.5%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.78%)

In 2024, 58% of workers in Plainfield, NJ drove alone to work, followed by those who used some unspecified means to get work (18.5%) and those who worked at home (6.78%).

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.

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Commute Time

29.5 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Plainfield, NJ have a longer commute time (29.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.55% of the workforce in Plainfield, NJ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Plainfield, NJ (8.42k out of 54.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

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

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.

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Health

72% of the population of Plainfield, NJ has health coverage, with 31.6% on employee plans, 27.4% on Medicaid, 7.23% on Medicare, 5.22% on non-group plans, and 0.544% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in New Jersey see 1,279 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,279 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1157 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 320 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.3% under 18 years, 24.1% between 18 and 34 years, 35.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 9.76% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

28%
Uninsured
31.6%
Employer Coverage
27.4%
Medicaid
7.23%
Medicare
5.22%
Non-Group
0.544%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Plainfield, NJ grew by 5.04% from 26.6% to 28%.

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

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