We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in New Jersey.
The city in New Jersey with the most number of Klaverns was Elizabeth with 2 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Waretown with 0.0007 Klaverns. There were historically 35 Klaverns in New Jersey, across 32 places in New Jersey with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in New Jersey based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in New Jersey
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in New Jersey
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in New Jersey
Data | Movers
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in New Jersey
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1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city’s year-round population was 5,325, reflecting a decline of 111 from the 5,436 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 952 from the 4,484 counted in the 1990 Census. With visitors, the population can swell to 250,000 during the summer months.
Data | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in New Jersey
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in New Jersey
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Mountainside is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 6,685, reflecting an increase of 83 from the 6,602 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 55 from the 6,657 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in New Jersey
Located in
Union County, New Jersey
Kenilworth is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,914, reflecting an increase of 239 from the 7,675 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 101 from the 7,574 counted in the 1990 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in New Jersey
Located in
Middlesex County, New Jersey
South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 8,631, reflecting an increase of 718 from the 7,913 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 50 from the 7,863 counted in the 1990 Census.
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 historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Garden State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In New Jersey
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waretown | 1,421 | 1 | 70 |
| 2 | New Egypt | 2,138 | 1 | 47 |
| 3 | Rio Grande | 2,353 | 1 | 42 |
| 4 | Tuckerton | 3,370 | 1 | 30 |
| 5 | Salem | 5,045 | 1 | 20 |
| 6 | Wildwood | 5,255 | 1 | 19 |
| 7 | Margate City | 6,343 | 1 | 16 |
| 8 | Mountainside | 6,765 | 1 | 15 |
| 9 | Kenilworth | 8,045 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | South Amboy | 8,749 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | Red Bank | 12,250 | 1 | 8 |
| 12 | Ridgewood | 25,270 | 2 | 8 |
| 13 | Springdale | 14,402 | 1 | 7 |
| 14 | Asbury Park | 15,933 | 1 | 6 |
| 15 | Rutherford | 18,297 | 1 | 5 |
| 16 | Pleasantville | 20,436 | 1 | 5 |
| 17 | Bridgeton | 25,252 | 1 | 4 |
| 18 | Millville | 28,603 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | Camden | 77,294 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 | Atlantic City | 39,521 | 1 | 3 |
| 21 | Hackensack | 43,903 | 1 | 2 |
| 22 | Plainfield | 50,423 | 1 | 2 |
| 23 | Perth Amboy | 51,727 | 1 | 2 |
| 24 | Lakewood | 51,944 | 1 | 2 |
| 25 | Hoboken | 51,979 | 1 | 2 |
| 26 | New Brunswick | 55,804 | 1 | 2 |
| 27 | Elizabeth | 126,964 | 2 | 2 |
| 28 | Union City | 68,001 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Trenton | 84,459 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Paterson | 146,341 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | Jersey City | 255,861 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Newark | 278,750 | 1 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 32 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In New Jersey
When you’re looking at the places in New Jersey with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in New Jersey with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Waretown, New Egypt, Rio Grande, Tuckerton, Salem, Wildwood, Margate City, Mountainside, Kenilworth, and South Amboy. Not sold on New Jersey? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Historic KKK Presence In New Jersey FAQs
What is the most historically racist city in New Jersey?
Waretown had the most KKK Klaverns per capita of any New Jersey city between 1915 and 1940, which puts it at the top of this historical ranking. The measure is historic Klan chapters, not anything about residents today.
Which New Jersey city had the most Klaverns overall?
Elizabeth had the most Klaverns in New Jersey outright, with 2. Our ranking uses Klaverns per capita instead, so smaller towns with heavy Klan presence rank ahead of big cities on raw counts.
How many Klaverns did New Jersey have?
New Jersey had 35 documented Klaverns across 32 cities during the 1915-1940 period. Those are the cities that appear in this ranking.
Does this mean Waretown is racist today?
No. This ranking maps where the KKK organized a century ago, and says nothing about the people who live in Waretown now. Treat it as history, not a review of the current community.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers come from a historical archive of Klan chapters, called Klaverns, documented between 1915 and 1940. We divided each city’s Klavern count by its population to get the per-capita ranking.
