Chinese Population in Middlesex County, NJ by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in Middlesex County, NJ is recorded at 27,677 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Every city in Middlesex County reports some Chinese residents. With no unincorporated share evident in the totals, this points to a completely city-based population. The sections below explores how Chinese residents are distributed in New Jersey and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in Middlesex County

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  • 1
    Edison township
    Chinese population in Edison township is 5,999
    5.61% of Edison township population is Chinese
  • 2
    East Brunswick township
    Chinese population in East Brunswick township is 3,436
    6.95% of East Brunswick township population is Chinese
  • 3
    Piscataway township
    Chinese population in Piscataway township is 2,978
    4.91% of Piscataway township population is Chinese
  • 4
    Plainsboro township
    Chinese population in Plainsboro township is 2,618
    10.93% of Plainsboro township population is Chinese
  • 5
    South Brunswick township
    Chinese population in South Brunswick township is 2,119
    4.54% of South Brunswick township population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Middlesex County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Middlesex County contains 27,677 Chinese residents (3.2% of 861,535 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 95th percentile within New Jersey for Chinese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Middlesex County's Chinese population of 3.2% surpassing both New Jersey's state average of 1.9% and the national average of 1.6%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Middlesex County's 27,677 Chinese residents constitute 15.4% of New Jersey's total Chinese population of 179,226, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 15.4% of all New Jersey Chinese Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Middlesex County's density of 89.5 Chinese Americans per square mile exceeds New Jersey's average of 24.4 per square mile by more than triple, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Chinese demographic communities.
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25 Cities in Middlesex County Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Chinese populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Edison township, East Brunswick township, Piscataway township, and Plainsboro township. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 25 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Middlesex County, NJ ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Middlesex County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Edison township 5,999 5.61% 21.68%
2 East Brunswick township 3,436 6.95% 12.41%
3 Piscataway township 2,978 4.91% 10.76%
4 Plainsboro township 2,618 10.93% 9.46%
5 South Brunswick township 2,119 4.54% 7.66%
6 New Brunswick 1,846 3.31% 6.67%
7 Highland Park 1,237 8.26% 4.47%
8 1,125 1.67% 4.06%
9 1,021 0.99% 3.69%
10 951 6.35% 3.44%
11 941 1.95% 3.40%
12 631 1.44% 2.28%
13 600 1.33% 2.17%
14 520 0.94% 1.88%
15 479 11.79% 1.73%
16 225 0.93% 0.81%
17 216 2.22% 0.78%
18 211 1.32% 0.76%
19 177 2.30% 0.64%
20 126 2.19% 0.46%
21 116 1.43% 0.42%
22 74 0.29% 0.27%
23 12 0.17% 0.04%
24 11 0.47% 0.04%
25 8 0.06% 0.03%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Middlesex County, NJ by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Chinese population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Chinese ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Chinese alone, while others identify as Chinese along with another race (such as Chinese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Chinese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Chinese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Chinese alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Chinese .
  2. % of Total Middlesex County Chinese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Chinese population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Chinese populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Chinese population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Chinese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.