The 10 Most Diverse Cities In New Jersey For 2021


We used data and science to determine the most diverse cities in New Jersey.

HomeSnacks is reader-supported. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the most diverse places in New Jersey.


Most Diverse Cities In New Jersey

Article continues below.

Race relations in America seem to be hitting a tipping point.

While we still haven't dealt with racism as a society, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has only flamed the tensions that have been mounting for years.

Part of the reason for that tension? The country as a whole continues to self segregate across race, income, and party lines. But it's not all bad on the race relations front.

There are parts of New Jersey where there's a high level of diversity -- where people of all walks of life come together. We decided to shine a light on those places today.

Using a standard measure of diversity, we ranked all 188 cities in New Jersey from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in New Jersey for 2021:

  1. Jersey City
  2. Atlantic City
  3. Englewood
  4. Hackensack
  5. Carteret
  6. Bergenfield
  7. Rahway
  8. Linden
  9. Lindenwold
  10. Roselle Park

So what city is the most diverse in New Jersey? According to the most Census data, Jersey City took the number one over all spot for diversity in New Jersey.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where New Jersey ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.

And if you already knew these places were diverse, check out:

The 10 Most Diverse Places In New Jersey For 2021

Jersey City, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 261,940

HHI: 2,365
% White: 21.9%
% African American: 21.1%
% Asian: 24.9%
More on Jersey City: PhotosData

Atlantic City, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 37,999

HHI: 2,621
% White: 15.6%
% African American: 33.7%
% Asian: 16.5%
More on Atlantic City: PhotosData

Englewood, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 28,353

HHI: 2,633
% White: 32.5%
% African American: 25.4%
% Asian: 9.7%
More on Englewood: PhotosData

Hackensack, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 44,339

HHI: 2,829
% White: 24.9%
% African American: 22.5%
% Asian: 11.2%
More on Hackensack: PhotosData

Carteret, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 23,589

HHI: 2,839
% White: 26.5%
% African American: 12.0%
% Asian: 20.2%
More on Carteret: PhotosData

Bergenfield, NJ

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 27,373

HHI: 2,844
% White: 35.8%
% African American: 8.2%
% Asian: 25.3%
More on Bergenfield: PhotosData

Rahway, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 29,543

HHI: 2,850
% White: 33.5%
% African American: 26.5%
% Asian: 4.5%
More on Rahway: PhotosData

Linden, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 42,222

HHI: 2,927
% White: 31.6%
% African American: 29.5%
% Asian: 3.7%
More on Linden: PhotosData

Lindenwold, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,320

HHI: 3,010
% White: 35.1%
% African American: 34.5%
% Asian: 1.8%
More on Lindenwold: PhotosData

Roselle Park, NJ

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 13,581

HHI: 3,189
% White: 45.0%
% African American: 7.7%
% Asian: 8.7%
More on Roselle Park: PhotosData

How we determined the most diverse cities in New Jersey for 2021

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across New Jersey.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2015-2019 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
  • Hispanic or Latino
* Not hispanic or latino

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 188 cities.

We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 2,365 (Jersey City) to 8,932 (Little Silver).

Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Jersey City took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Little Silver was the least diverse city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in New Jersey ranked for diversity or, for a more general take on diversity in america, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

There You Have It - Diversity Across New Jersey

If you're looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across New Jersey, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least diverse places in New Jersey:

  1. Little Silver
  2. Haddon Heights
  3. Margate City

For more New Jersey reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Diverse Cities In New Jersey For 2021

Rank City Population HHI
1 Jersey City, NJ 261,940 2,365
2 Atlantic City, NJ 37,999 2,621
3 Englewood, NJ 28,353 2,633
4 Hackensack, NJ 44,339 2,829
5 Carteret, NJ 23,589 2,839
6 Bergenfield, NJ 27,373 2,844
7 Rahway, NJ 29,543 2,850
8 Linden, NJ 42,222 2,927
9 Lindenwold, NJ 17,320 3,010
10 Roselle Park, NJ 13,581 3,189
11 Secaucus, NJ 20,125 3,223
12 New Brunswick, NJ 55,960 3,231
13 Ridgefield, NJ 11,227 3,241
14 Asbury Park, NJ 15,597 3,244
15 Bayonne, NJ 65,091 3,273
16 Edgewater, NJ 12,403 3,313
17 Cliffside Park, NJ 25,126 3,339
18 Little Ferry, NJ 10,782 3,371
19 Leonia, NJ 9,086 3,381
20 South Plainfield, NJ 23,956 3,387
21 Bogota, NJ 8,360 3,431
22 East Rutherford, NJ 9,584 3,455
23 North Plainfield, NJ 21,501 3,479
24 Harrison, NJ 17,213 3,487
25 Roselle, NJ 21,637 3,495
26 Somerville, NJ 12,085 3,496
27 Dunellen, NJ 7,252 3,506
28 Lodi, NJ 24,430 3,537
29 Sayreville, NJ 44,292 3,543
30 Ridgefield Park, NJ 12,922 3,568
31 Clifton, NJ 85,204 3,631
32 Fort Lee, NJ 37,430 3,634
33 Vineland, NJ 60,034 3,684
34 Woodbury, NJ 9,861 3,699
35 Bridgeton, NJ 24,540 3,730
36 Plainfield, NJ 50,362 3,740
37 Newark, NJ 281,054 3,772
38 Prospect Park, NJ 5,865 3,774
39 Pleasantville, NJ 20,301 3,777
40 Burlington, NJ 9,815 3,778
41 Highland Park, NJ 13,883 3,786
42 Long Branch, NJ 30,516 3,801
43 Maywood, NJ 9,661 3,809
44 Hight, NJ 5,375 3,832
45 Elmwood Park, NJ 20,059 3,835
46 Trenton, NJ 83,412 3,842
47 Englewood Cliffs, NJ 5,371 3,856
48 Morristown, NJ 18,909 3,867
49 Haledon, NJ 8,325 3,884
50 Somerdale, NJ 5,448 3,998
51 Freehold, NJ 11,797 4,011
52 Rutherford, NJ 18,398 4,018
53 New Milford, NJ 16,545 4,059
54 Pine Hill, NJ 10,442 4,106
55 Middlesex, NJ 13,662 4,106
56 Kearny, NJ 41,412 4,108
57 Paramus, NJ 26,503 4,130
58 Wharton, NJ 6,474 4,136
59 Bound Brook, NJ 10,288 4,137
60 Red Bank, NJ 12,072 4,163
61 Camden, NJ 74,002 4,169
62 Palisades Park, NJ 20,604 4,181
63 Dumont, NJ 17,624 4,208
64 Closter, NJ 8,565 4,305
65 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 12,082 4,306
66 Millville, NJ 27,721 4,321
67 Kenilworth, NJ 8,161 4,360
68 Eato, NJ 12,214 4,372
69 Tenafly, NJ 14,632 4,377
70 Garfield, NJ 31,645 4,379
71 Paterson, NJ 145,710 4,407
72 Woodland Park, NJ 12,547 4,452
73 Glassboro, NJ 19,826 4,471
74 South River, NJ 16,001 4,488
75 River Edge, NJ 11,500 4,516
76 Raritan, NJ 7,865 4,520
77 North Arlington, NJ 15,677 4,541
78 Paulsboro, NJ 5,904 4,562
79 Manville, NJ 10,230 4,611
80 Fairview, NJ 14,258 4,642
81 Elizabeth, NJ 128,333 4,692
82 Carlstadt, NJ 6,178 4,713
83 Metuchen, NJ 14,048 4,774
84 Norwood, NJ 5,812 4,800
85 Cresskill, NJ 8,699 4,819
86 Jamesburg, NJ 5,921 4,828
87 Wood-Ridge, NJ 8,769 4,857
88 Princeton, NJ 31,000 4,891
89 Ventnor City, NJ 10,095 4,899
90 Westwood, NJ 11,115 4,915
91 Guttenberg, NJ 11,317 4,957
92 Phillipsburg, NJ 14,344 5,020
93 Rockaway, NJ 6,384 5,030
94 Summit, NJ 21,913 5,043
95 South Amboy, NJ 8,772 5,046
96 Bloomingdale, NJ 8,088 5,048
97 Keansburg, NJ 9,735 5,057
98 Matawan, NJ 8,747 5,093
99 Dover, NJ 17,977 5,119
100 Palmyra, NJ 7,189 5,130

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.