Is being in an area of New Jersey that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Newark and Jersey City, while others want peace and quiet like in Beckett and Country Lake Estates, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in New Jersey have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Garden State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
5056.5% growth since 2010 · 6,270 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1375.8% growth since 2010 · 9,603 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
229.8% growth since 2010 · 6,369 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
188.6% growth since 2010 · 4,186 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
69.5% growth since 2010 · 2,725 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
57.9% growth since 2010 · 3,500 net new residents
Located in
Atlantic County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
54.6% growth since 2010 · 2,037 net new residents
Data | Movers
53.4% growth since 2010 · 2,778 net new residents
Located in
Burlington County, New Jersey
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located approximately 16.1 miles south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Army Installation Management Command. As of the 2010 United States Census, Fort Dix census-designated place had a total population of 7,716, of which 5,951 were in New Hanover Township, 1,765 were in Pemberton Township and none were in Springfield Township.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
50.5% growth since 2010 · 2,682 net new residents
Located in
Atlantic County, New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
50.1% growth since 2010 · 6,800 net new residents
Located in
Hudson County, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Jersey’s statewide median.
On the map
Where New Jersey’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Garden State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 266 New Jersey cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Garden State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in New Jersey.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In New Jersey For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belle Mead | 6,394 | 124 | 5056.5% | 6,270 |
| 2 | Blackwells Mills | 10,301 | 698 | 1375.8% | 9,603 |
| 3 | Monmouth Junction | 9,141 | 2,772 | 229.8% | 6,369 |
| 4 | Mays Landing | 6,406 | 2,220 | 188.6% | 4,186 |
| 5 | Franklin Center | 6,646 | 3,921 | 69.5% | 2,725 |
| 6 | Smithville | 9,545 | 6,045 | 57.9% | 3,500 |
| 7 | Golden Triangle | 5,765 | 3,728 | 54.6% | 2,037 |
| 8 | Fort Dix | 7,984 | 5,206 | 53.4% | 2,778 |
| 9 | Pomona | 7,995 | 5,313 | 50.5% | 2,682 |
| 10 | Harrison | 20,369 | 13,569 | 50.1% | 6,800 |
| 11 | East Franklin | 11,070 | 7,710 | 43.6% | 3,360 |
| 12 | Lakewood | 69,585 | 49,805 | 39.7% | 19,780 |
| 13 | Edgewater | 14,759 | 10,766 | 37.1% | 3,993 |
| 14 | Secaucus | 21,778 | 16,008 | 36.0% | 5,770 |
| 15 | Heathcote | 7,717 | 5,698 | 35.4% | 2,019 |
| 16 | Wood-Ridge | 10,218 | 7,572 | 34.9% | 2,646 |
| 17 | Country Lake Estates | 5,055 | 3,752 | 34.7% | 1,303 |
| 18 | Madison Park | 9,124 | 6,843 | 33.3% | 2,281 |
| 19 | Echelon | 13,284 | 10,049 | 32.2% | 3,235 |
| 20 | Morganville | 5,902 | 4,619 | 27.8% | 1,283 |
| 21 | Budd Lake | 10,650 | 8,374 | 27.2% | 2,276 |
| 22 | Leisure Village | 5,751 | 4,543 | 26.6% | 1,208 |
| 23 | Glassboro | 23,717 | 18,811 | 26.1% | 4,906 |
| 24 | Hoboken | 58,668 | 47,384 | 23.8% | 11,284 |
| 25 | Lindenwold | 21,719 | 17,601 | 23.4% | 4,118 |
| 26 | Raritan | 8,368 | 6,814 | 22.8% | 1,554 |
| 27 | Beach Haven West | 5,120 | 4,178 | 22.5% | 942 |
| 28 | Green Knoll | 6,789 | 5,571 | 21.9% | 1,218 |
| 29 | Ocean Acres | 19,204 | 15,772 | 21.8% | 3,432 |
| 30 | Old Bridge | 28,236 | 23,324 | 21.1% | 4,912 |
| 31 | Jersey City | 294,078 | 243,257 | 20.9% | 50,821 |
| 32 | Pine Lake Park | 9,795 | 8,138 | 20.4% | 1,657 |
| 33 | Mount Arlington | 5,935 | 4,992 | 18.9% | 943 |
| 34 | Twin Rivers | 8,382 | 7,053 | 18.8% | 1,329 |
| 35 | Florham Park | 13,564 | 11,494 | 18.0% | 2,070 |
| 36 | Bound Brook | 12,219 | 10,399 | 17.5% | 1,820 |
| 37 | South Amboy | 9,989 | 8,502 | 17.5% | 1,487 |
| 38 | East Rutherford | 10,313 | 8,829 | 16.8% | 1,484 |
| 39 | Caldwell | 9,003 | 7,745 | 16.2% | 1,258 |
| 40 | Montvale | 8,901 | 7,663 | 16.2% | 1,238 |
| 41 | Bayonne | 71,553 | 62,027 | 15.4% | 9,526 |
| 42 | Kingston Estates | 6,668 | 5,781 | 15.3% | 887 |
| 43 | Woodland Park | 13,355 | 11,609 | 15.0% | 1,746 |
| 44 | White Horse | 10,507 | 9,141 | 14.9% | 1,366 |
| 45 | Carneys Point | 8,050 | 7,016 | 14.7% | 1,034 |
| 46 | Bogota | 9,360 | 8,158 | 14.7% | 1,202 |
| 47 | New Providence | 13,727 | 12,018 | 14.2% | 1,709 |
| 48 | Watchung | 6,485 | 5,686 | 14.1% | 799 |
| 49 | Fort Lee | 40,067 | 35,161 | 14.0% | 4,906 |
| 50 | Kendall Park | 10,011 | 8,805 | 13.7% | 1,206 |
| 51 | Morris Plains | 6,315 | 5,558 | 13.6% | 757 |
| 52 | Carteret | 25,496 | 22,445 | 13.6% | 3,051 |
| 53 | Princeton Meadows | 15,561 | 13,737 | 13.3% | 1,824 |
| 54 | Florence | 5,242 | 4,629 | 13.2% | 613 |
| 55 | Short Hills | 14,923 | 13,209 | 13.0% | 1,714 |
| 56 | Newark | 310,178 | 274,674 | 12.9% | 35,504 |
| 57 | Metuchen | 15,144 | 13,431 | 12.8% | 1,713 |
| 58 | Wharton | 7,318 | 6,496 | 12.7% | 822 |
| 59 | Plainfield | 55,236 | 49,043 | 12.6% | 6,193 |
| 60 | Rahway | 30,109 | 26,968 | 11.6% | 3,141 |
| 61 | Elizabeth | 137,302 | 123,176 | 11.5% | 14,126 |
| 62 | Elmwood Park | 21,412 | 19,214 | 11.4% | 2,198 |
| 63 | Perth Amboy | 55,855 | 50,182 | 11.3% | 5,673 |
| 64 | Washington | 7,334 | 6,591 | 11.3% | 743 |
| 65 | Glendora | 5,431 | 4,887 | 11.1% | 544 |
| 66 | Yorketown | 7,261 | 6,552 | 10.8% | 709 |
| 67 | Morristown | 20,453 | 18,457 | 10.8% | 1,996 |
| 68 | Fair Lawn | 35,610 | 32,147 | 10.8% | 3,463 |
| 69 | Dunellen | 7,911 | 7,143 | 10.8% | 768 |
| 70 | Clayton | 8,921 | 8,063 | 10.6% | 858 |
| 71 | Linden | 44,192 | 39,967 | 10.6% | 4,225 |
| 72 | Fairview | 15,099 | 13,656 | 10.6% | 1,443 |
| 73 | Matawan | 9,710 | 8,786 | 10.5% | 924 |
| 74 | Lincroft | 6,939 | 6,281 | 10.5% | 658 |
| 75 | Englewood | 29,638 | 26,828 | 10.5% | 2,810 |
| 76 | Tinton Falls | 19,361 | 17,532 | 10.4% | 1,829 |
| 77 | Cliffside Park | 25,781 | 23,365 | 10.3% | 2,416 |
| 78 | Roseland | 6,268 | 5,686 | 10.2% | 582 |
| 79 | Somerville | 13,410 | 12,188 | 10.0% | 1,222 |
| 80 | Absecon | 9,170 | 8,357 | 9.7% | 813 |
| 81 | Cresskill | 9,174 | 8,380 | 9.5% | 794 |
| 82 | Park Ridge | 9,406 | 8,615 | 9.2% | 791 |
| 83 | Succasunna | 9,799 | 8,977 | 9.2% | 822 |
| 84 | Robertsville | 12,035 | 11,039 | 9.0% | 996 |
| 85 | Haledon | 8,980 | 8,245 | 8.9% | 735 |
| 86 | Paterson | 158,735 | 145,836 | 8.8% | 12,899 |
| 87 | Lodi | 26,082 | 23,970 | 8.8% | 2,112 |
| 88 | Cape May Court House | 5,628 | 5,175 | 8.8% | 453 |
| 89 | Garfield | 32,783 | 30,190 | 8.6% | 2,593 |
| 90 | Haddonfield | 12,595 | 11,608 | 8.5% | 987 |
| 91 | Brookdale | 9,960 | 9,185 | 8.4% | 775 |
| 92 | Sayreville | 45,838 | 42,279 | 8.4% | 3,559 |
| 93 | Prospect Park | 6,319 | 5,833 | 8.3% | 486 |
| 94 | Butler | 8,133 | 7,515 | 8.2% | 618 |
| 95 | Hight | 5,920 | 5,475 | 8.1% | 445 |
| 96 | Highland Park | 15,121 | 13,990 | 8.1% | 1,131 |
| 97 | Roselle | 22,646 | 20,955 | 8.1% | 1,691 |
| 98 | Woodcliff Lake | 6,152 | 5,694 | 8.0% | 458 |
| 99 | Clifton | 89,379 | 82,776 | 8.0% | 6,603 |
| 100 | River Edge | 12,091 | 11,199 | 8.0% | 892 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 266 New Jersey cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In New Jersey, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in New Jersey are led by Belle Mead which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in New Jersey are Belle Mead, Blackwells Mills, Monmouth Junction, Mays Landing, Franklin Center, Smithville, Golden Triangle, Fort Dix, Pomona, and Harrison.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
