Watchung, NJ

Census Place

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2024 Population
6,485
US Senator
Cory Booker
Democratic Party
US Senator
Andy Kim
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
48.1
3.66% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
1.24%
40.8% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$173,672
4.28% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$882,500
5.9% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
3,285
5.19% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Watchung, 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.

93.7% of the residents in Watchung, NJ are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Watchung, NJ was $882,500, and the homeownership rate was 84.1%.

Most people in Watchung, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 33.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Watchung, NJ was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNew JerseySomerset County, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PASomerset County (North & West) PUMA, NJSomerset County (Central)--Bridgewater, Somerville & North Plainfield PUMA, NJUnion County (Northwest)--Summit & Cranford PUMA, NJUnion County (Southwest)--Plainfield & Westfield PUMA, NJ

Population & Diversity

Watchung, NJ is home to a population of 6.49k people, from which 93.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 22.4% of Watchung, NJ residents were born outside of the country (1.45k people).

In 2024, there were 5.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.53k people) in Watchung, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 781 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 335 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.7%
2024 Citizenship
94.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.7% of Watchung, NJ residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Watchung, NJ was 94.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Watchung, 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 Watchung, NJ
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    4.53k ± 525
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    781 ± 375
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    335 ± 202
8.8%
Hispanic Population
571 people

In 2024, there were 5.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.53k people) in Watchung, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 781 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 335 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

8.8% of the people in Watchung, NJ are hispanic (571 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Watchung, 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

22.4%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
1.45k people
23.7%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.52k people

As of 2024, 22.4% of Watchung, NJ residents (1.45k 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 Watchung, NJ was 23.7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    86 ± 73
  2. Korea
    31 ± 45
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    28 ± 51

Watchung, NJ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.77 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Watchung, NJ employs 3.29k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Watchung, NJ were Health Care & Social Assistance (581 people), Manufacturing (444 people), and Retail Trade (367 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($250,001), Finance & Insurance ($250,001), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($208,636).

Employment

Occupations

3.29k
2024 Value
± 538
5.19%
1 Year growth
± 22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watchung, NJ grew at a rate of 5.19%, from 3.12k employees to 3.29k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watchung, NJ, are Management Occupations (820 people), Sales & Related Occupations (357 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (318 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Watchung, 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

3.29k
2024 Value
± 538
5.19%
1 Year growth
± 22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watchung, NJ grew at a rate of 5.19%, from 3.12k employees to 3.29k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watchung, NJ, are Health Care & Social Assistance (581 people), Manufacturing (444 people), and Retail Trade (367 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Watchung, NJ, though some of these residents may live in Watchung, 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

$136,442
Median earning men ± $58,816
$69,807
Median earning women ± $27,379

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($250,001), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($250,001), and Wholesale Trade ($220,284).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($204,375), Wholesale Trade ($202,604), and Manufacturing ($137,150).

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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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Housing & Living

The median property value in Watchung, NJ was $882,500 in 2024, which is 2.65 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $833,300 to $882,500, a 5.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Watchung, NJ is 84.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Watchung, NJ have an average commute time of 33.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Watchung, NJ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$882,500
Median Property Value 2024
±$24,644
$1,982
Median Property Taxes
±$339

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

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

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Rent vs Own

84.1%
Homeownership
2024
61.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 84.1% of the housing units in Watchung, NJ were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 87.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Watchung, 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.
$173,672
Median Household Income
± $13,493
2.36k
Number of Households
± 373

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.36k households in Watchung, NJ grew to $173,672 from the previous year's value of $166,536.

The following chart displays the households in Watchung, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Watchung, 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 (60.4%)
  2. Worked At Home (27.1%)
  3. Public Transit (7.8%)

In 2024, 60.4% of workers in Watchung, NJ drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (27.1%) and those who used public transit to get to work (7.8%).

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

33.6 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watchung, NJ have a longer commute time (33.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.21% of the workforce in Watchung, NJ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Watchung, 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 Watchung, NJ distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Watchung, NJ have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

1.24% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watchung, NJ (77 out of 6.2k 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 75+, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Watchung, NJ is White, followed by Asian 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

98.6% of the population of Watchung, NJ has health coverage, with 63.2% on employee plans, 3.43% on Medicaid, 23.9% on Medicare, 7.97% on non-group plans, and 0% 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, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.9% under 18 years, 12.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 27.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

1.43%
Uninsured
63.2%
Employer Coverage
3.43%
Medicaid
23.9%
Medicare
7.97%
Non-Group
0%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Watchung, NJ grew by 33.8% from 1.07% to 1.43%.

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

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