Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Somerset County, NJ: population growth, jobs and income

Somerset County gained 1,364 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.4%).

Somerset County had an estimated 356,486 residents in 2025, up 3.5% (11,970 more people) since 2020. That is faster than New Jersey as a whole (+3.0%), and the 5th fastest growth of 21 counties in New Jersey.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Somerset County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Somerset County, ranked against New Jersey and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$2,033/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes2.1%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months7492025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for New Jersey? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 1,362 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 188,127 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −1.5% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 4.5% in 2025, 1.7 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 763 new homes in 2025, or 2.1 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $140,374 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +20.5% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 878th.

Part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area.

Get Somerset County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Somerset County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Somerset County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Somerset County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
2025356,486+1,364
2024355,122+4,080
2023351,042+3,421
2022347,621+1,552
2021346,069+1,553
2020344,516–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Somerset County

Somerset County grew by 11,970 people since 2020 even though 2,882 more residents moved to other U.S. counties than came from them: births outnumbered deaths by 3,111, and net international migration added 11,628.

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths+740+3,111
International migrationfrom and to other countries+1,977+11,628
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−1,362−2,882
Census adjustmentbalancing residual+9+113
Total change+1,364+11,970

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn New JerseyAmong U.S. counties
Population growth5th of 21878th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents15th of 212,440th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth21st of 212,083rd of 3,092
Median household income2nd of 2115th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate4th of 212,121st of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents14th of 211,470th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Somerset County, NJ as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Middlesex County and Union County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Somerset County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Somerset County's population change (+3.5%) was ahead of 4 of its 5 neighbouring counties and behind 1 (Union County).

Only Hunterdon County had a higher median household income (2020–24) among its 5 neighbouring counties; Somerset County's was $140,374.

Somerset County, NJ and its 5 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Somerset County, NJ This county356,486+3.5%−3.82.1$140,374
Middlesex County, NJ883,335+2.6%−9.21.7$111,549
Hunterdon County, NJ131,781+2.3%3.54.1$141,715
Mercer County, NJ399,289+3.3%−5.62.9$100,645
Morris County, NJ524,251+3.2%0.12.5$137,326
Union County, NJ601,863+4.9%−9.12.0$103,202

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 21 New Jersey counties · Every state

Questions

Is Somerset County growing?

Yes. Its population grew 3.5% between 2020 and 2025, about 11,970 more people (Census Bureau population estimates). New Jersey as a whole changed +3.0% over the same years. That ranks 5th of 21 counties in New Jersey for population growth.

How many people moved to Somerset County?

On net, none in 2025: about 1,362 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Somerset County?

It averaged 4.5% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Somerset County?

About 356,486 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Somerset County?

Private employers there had 188,127 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −1.5% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in New Jersey

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other New Jersey county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Somerset County data alerts

Email me when Somerset County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Somerset County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.