By: Cosmo F. Terrigno, Ed.S.
A shared geography does not always tell a shared economic story. Across South Jersey, eight counties form a region familiar in name and location, yet the numbers reveal communities experiencing different patterns of growth, income, housing and economic activity. Understanding those differences requires looking beyond the boundaries that connect them and examining the circumstances that distinguish them.
Cape May County has South Jersey’s highest median value of owner-occupied housing, yet its population has declined. Ocean County recorded the largest percentage population increase among the region’s eight counties, rising 5.7% between the April 2020 estimates base and July 2025. Burlington County reports the highest median household income, while Cumberland County’s poverty rate is more than twice Burlington’s.
For residents of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem counties, these distinctions offer a more detailed picture of a region often discussed as though it were economically uniform. They also raise a larger question: What do these measurements reveal about South Jersey, and what remains beyond their reach?
The comparisons in this article use the latest available data as of October 2026 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s QuickFacts database and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Census population estimates are for July 1, 2025; many income, poverty, housing and education measures cover 2020–2024; and the business figures discussed below are from 2022. Some Census measures are based on sample surveys, and apparent differences between counties may not always be statistically significant.
South Jersey Is Growing, but Not Everywhere
Population change provides one of the clearest examples of South Jersey’s uneven demographic patterns.
According to the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimates, Ocean County is the most populous of the eight counties and recorded a 5.7% population increase since the April 2020 estimates base. Burlington and Gloucester counties also experienced growth, at 4.2% and 3.4%, respectively.
Cape May County moved in the opposite direction.
Its estimated population declined 2% over the same period, making it the only one of the eight counties to register a population loss.
Salem County offers another contrast. Although it remains South Jersey’s least populous county, its population increased 2.2% since 2020. Camden, Cumberland and Atlantic counties also recorded population growth, but at different rates.
New Jersey’s statewide population increased 2.8% over the period.
These figures establish that population change is not occurring uniformly across South Jersey. Some counties are adding residents faster than the state overall, while others are growing more slowly or losing population.
Population growth can have implications for economic activity, housing, transportation and public services. Yet the population figures alone do not establish the nature or extent of those effects. A growing population is not necessarily evidence of improving financial circumstances, just as a declining population does not automatically signal economic deterioration.
The differences invite a broader examination of the region, beginning with household income and poverty.
Income and Poverty Reveal a Different Picture
Burlington County has the region’s highest median household income at $108,111, followed by Gloucester County at $105,115. Cumberland County reports $67,436, the lowest among the eight counties.
The difference between Burlington and Cumberland exceeds $40,000.
Poverty rates provide another perspective. Burlington reports the lowest rate, at 5.5%, while Cumberland has the highest, at 14.2%. Cumberland’s rate is more than twice Burlington’s.
Together, these measurements reveal substantial differences in household economic indicators across the region. They also demonstrate why a regional average can conceal the circumstances reflected in individual county figures.
Median household income identifies the midpoint of a county’s household income distribution. It does not measure household wealth or establish how much income remains after housing, transportation, health care and other expenses. Poverty rates offer another measure, but cannot fully describe the financial pressures experienced by households above the poverty threshold.
Considering income and poverty together therefore provides a more informative comparison than either measure alone. Neither, however, explains the underlying causes of the differences or captures the circumstances of every municipality, neighborhood or household.
Housing Complicates the Economic Picture
Housing adds another dimension to South Jersey’s economic contrasts.
Cape May County has the highest median value of owner-occupied housing among the eight counties, at $434,600. Its median household income, however, falls below those of Burlington and Gloucester counties.
Ocean County combines comparatively high owner-occupied housing values and gross rents with substantial population growth. Burlington pairs relatively high housing values and rents with the region’s highest median household income.
Cumberland and Salem counties, by comparison, have substantially lower median owner-occupied housing values than Cape May, Ocean and Burlington counties.
The differences illustrate why housing values and affordability are not interchangeable measures.
A lower-valued home may remain financially difficult to obtain in a county with lower household incomes. Higher home values may represent substantial assets for existing homeowners while creating obstacles for prospective buyers.
Affordability also depends on financing costs, household expenses and the availability of suitable housing. The Census estimates used here describe housing values and rents during 2020–2024, not the prices of homes currently offered for sale.
The relationship between income and housing is therefore more informative than either measurement considered independently.
Education Adds Another Dimension
Educational attainment introduces another difference among South Jersey counties.
In Burlington County, more than four in 10 adults age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest share among the eight counties. Cumberland County has the lowest share, at fewer than one in five.
The other six counties fall between those endpoints. High school completion rates also vary, although the differences are narrower than those for bachelor’s-degree attainment.
These measurements help describe the educational characteristics of county populations, but college degrees are only one form of workforce preparation.
Technical training, apprenticeships, professional certifications and occupational experience also contribute to the qualifications of workers throughout the region.
Educational attainment may be considered alongside income and employment data, but the figures presented here do not establish that differences in college completion caused the income or poverty disparities among counties.
The comparison adds another piece to South Jersey’s economic picture without reducing workforce qualifications to a single credential.
Business Activity Reflects Additional Differences
The region’s business statistics provide another perspective, revealing differences in the scale of activity across several industries.
Atlantic County stands out in accommodation and food services, recording more than $4.5 billion in sales in 2022, considerably more than any of the other seven counties.
Cape May County, despite its much smaller population, also recorded substantial accommodation and food-service sales.
Camden County reported approximately $7.4 billion in health care and social-assistance receipts or revenue in 2022. Health care and social assistance also generated substantial receipts in Ocean and Burlington counties.
Transportation and warehousing offer another comparison. Census data show more than $1 billion in receipts or revenue in each of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties in 2022.
These figures measure reported activity within particular industries, not business profits, worker wages or household income.
Nevertheless, the differences add context to the region’s economic profile. Counties can report substantial activity in different industries while displaying distinct patterns in population, income and housing.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s county labor-market profiles provide additional information about employment, wages, population and business conditions. The department also publishes unemployment and labor-force estimates, allowing readers to examine how those conditions change over time.
One Region, Different Economic Realities
The comparisons become particularly revealing when measurements are considered together rather than separately.
Salem County, for example, is the least populous of the eight counties, yet its median household income exceeds those of both Atlantic and Cumberland counties. Cape May combines population decline with the region’s highest median owner-occupied housing value. Ocean combines rapid population growth with comparatively high housing values and rents.
These findings demonstrate that different economic indicators can produce different impressions of the same county. None, independently, establishes whether residents are experiencing greater prosperity or financial difficulty.
The connections among counties also matter. New Jersey’s Local Employment Dynamics data document workers who live and work within the same county and those who commute across county boundaries. The state’s published 2023 analyses include all eight South Jersey counties, offering another perspective on economic activity that extends beyond county borders.
Where people live and where they work are not necessarily the same. That distinction further complicates efforts to characterize a county’s economy through its residential population alone.
For residents, employers, public officials and others examining South Jersey, the available data provide a starting point for understanding regional differences. They identify measurable contrasts without establishing every cause, consequence or individual experience behind them.
A shared geography may define South Jersey on a map, but no single statistic can define its economic circumstances. Across eight counties, the figures reveal different patterns of growth, income, housing and business activity, each adding another dimension to the region’s story. Together, they offer not a single portrait of South Jersey, but a clearer understanding of the many communities within it.
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