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West Orange Township, NJ

Township in Essex County, NJ, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

48,585
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

41
years ∙ half population younger than 41, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
71%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

26.4%
foreign-born population
73.6%Native
26.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

West Orange Township is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.
Location
Township in Essex County, NJ, US
Co-ordinates
DEC40.785755° N, 74.265058° W
DMS40° 47′ 08.72″ N, 74° 15′ 54.21″ W

Population Density & area

4,049/sq mi (1,562/km²)
Total Area
12.1 sq mi (31.4 km²)
Land Area
12 sq mi (31.1 km²) · 99%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) · 1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.7% male
Male 48.7%
Female 51.3%
males per 100 females
West Orange Township 94.9
Essex County 94.7
New Jersey 96.9

Nativity

26.4%
foreign-born population
73.6%Native
26.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
West Orange Township 26.4%
Essex County 30.1%
New Jersey 23.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

41
years ∙ half population younger than 41, half older
West Orange Township
41
Essex County
37.7
New Jersey
40.1

Dependency ratio

Low High
65.1
dependents per 100 working-age adults
West Orange Township 65.1
Essex County 60.8
New Jersey 63.9

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 21.5% 23.6% 21.8%
Working age (18-64) 60.6% 62.2% 61%
Senior (65+) 17.9% 14.2% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 65.1 60.8 63.9
Child dependency ratio 35.5 37.9 35.7
Old-age dependency ratio 29.6 22.8 28.2
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
40.4%
Black
26.8%
Asian
5.2%
Hispanic
22.4%
Other
5.2%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
71%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
West Orange Township 71%
Essex County 73.1%
New Jersey 66.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of West Orange Township population
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Hispanic or Latino 22.4% 25.2% 22.5%
Mexican 2.3% 1.3% 2.6%
Puerto Rican 2.1% 5.8% 5.1%
Cuban 0.4% 0.7% 1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 17.6% 17.3% 13.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 77.6% 74.8% 77.5%
One race 73.6% 70.2% 74%
White 40.4% 27.3% 50.9%
Black or African American 26.8% 35.4% 12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Asian 5.2% 6% 10%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 1% 1.4% 0.8%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 4% 4.6% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

71.2% family
Family 71.2%
Non family 28.8%
% family households
West Orange Township 71.2%
Essex County 64.3%
New Jersey 67.8%

Average household size

2.79
persons per household
West Orange Township
2.79
Essex County
2.63
New Jersey
2.62

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of West Orange Township population
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Total households 17,166 319,788 3,507,701
Average houshold size 2.79 2.63 2.62
Family households 12,219 205,534 2,377,513
Average family size 3.34 3.32 3.19
Married couple family 9,119 126,801 1,746,187
Other families 3,100 78,733 631,326
Male householder 1,010 20,188 178,050
Female householder 2,090 58,545 453,276
Non-family households 4,947 114,254 1,130,188
One-person households 4,424 97,967 927,585
Male householder 1,646 42,000 394,706
Senior (65+) living alone 727 12,630 130,069
Female householder 2,778 55,967 532,879
Senior (65+) living alone 1,685 24,557 290,265
Other living arrangements 523 16,287 202,603

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

17,870
housing units
West Orange Township 17,870
Essex County 336,962
New Jersey 3,791,354

Occupancy status

96.1% occupied
Occupied 96.1%
Vacant 3.9%
vacancy rate
West Orange Township 3.9%
Essex County 5.1%
New Jersey 7.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

63.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
63.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
36.1%
Mobile homes
0.3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.3%

Median Year Built

1956
Half of houses were built before 1956, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
24.8%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
45.7%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
19.6%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
10%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.3 5 5.7
1–3 rooms 15.9% 24.6% 16.4%
4–6 rooms 36.6% 46.6% 46.2%
7+ rooms 47.4% 28.9% 37.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 4.8% 7.6% 3.1%
1 bedroom 12.5% 18.7% 14.1%
2 bedrooms 18.6% 27% 25.6%
3 bedrooms 36% 28.8% 31.5%
4+ bedrooms 28.1% 18% 25.6%
At a glance
Median year built 1956 1958 1970
Total housing units 17,870 336,962 3,791,354
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

69.2% owners
Renter-occupied 30.8%
Owner-occupied 69.2%
homeownership rate
West Orange Township 69.2%
Essex County 44.9%
New Jersey 63.8%

Average household size

2.88
Owner-occupied
2.58
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
West Orange Township 2.88
Essex County 2.95
New Jersey 2.75

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Total occupied units 17,166 319,788 3,507,701
Year moved in
2020 or later 19.6% 23% 21.2%
2010 to 2019 42% 43.5% 39%
2000 to 2009 17.6% 15.9% 18%
1999 or earlier 20.8% 17.6% 21.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 97% 93.9% 96%
1.01 to 1.50 1.5% 2.7% 2.5%
1.51 or more 1.5% 3.4% 1.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6.8% 21% 11.1%
1 vehicle 37% 40.7% 35.1%
2 vehicles 41.4% 28% 35.5%
3 or more vehicles 14.8% 10.3% 18.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 81% 74.6% 75.5%
Electricity 13.8% 18.6% 16.2%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 3.3% 3.8% 6.4%
All other fuels 0.5% 0.9% 0.8%
No fuel used 1.4% 1.9% 0.8%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.5% 0.4% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 2.7% 1.1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0.3% 0.8% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$557,300
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
West Orange Township
$557,300
Essex County
$524,100
New Jersey
$454,400

Housing Cost Burden

34.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
34.5%
Owners without a mortgage
29%
Renters
53.6%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Property value
Median Value $557,300 $524,100 $454,400
Under $100,000 3% 4.2% 4.3%
$100,000 - $200,000 1.3% 3.3% 6.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 6.9% 9% 12.9%
$300,000 - $500,000 30.6% 31% 34.2%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 53.2% 39.7% 34.5%
$1,000,000 and more 5% 12.9% 7.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 66% 68.3% 63.9%
Without a mortgage 34% 31.7% 36.1%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $3,567 $3,322 $2,829
Without a mortgage $1,501 $1,501 $1,232
Gross rent
Median rent $1,897 $1,531 $1,720

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

52.6%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
West Orange Township 52.6%
Essex County 39.1%
New Jersey 43.6%

Adults without a high school diploma

8.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
West Orange Township 8.9%
Essex County 13.3%
New Jersey 9.3%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

12,657
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
8.6%
K–12
63.2%
College / Undergraduate
23.5%
Graduate / Professional
4.7%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

51%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
West Orange Township
51%
Essex County
43.1%
New Jersey
46.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Total enrolled (age 3+) 12,657 226,078 2,272,695
Nursery / preschool 8.6% 7.6% 7.1%
K–12 63.2% 66.3% 66.6%
Kindergarten 3.5% 5.7% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 18.3% 18.6% 19%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 19.7% 21% 20.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 21.6% 21% 21.6%
College or graduate school 28.2% 26.1% 26.3%
College, undergraduate 23.5% 20.2% 20%
Graduate, professional school 4.7% 5.9% 6.4%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 51% 43.1% 46.1%
School type
Public school 82.6% 83.3% 78.9%
Private school 17.4% 16.7% 21.1%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

33,717
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
5.5%
9th-12th, no diploma
3.4%
HS graduate
17.1%
Some college no degree
15.5%
Associates degree
5.8%
Bachelors degree
29.4%
Graduate or professional degree
23.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
43.1% · 56.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
53.4% · 46.6%
HS graduate
50.8% · 49.2%
Some college no degree
50.9% · 49.1%
Associates degree
36.5% · 63.5%
Bachelors degree
48.4% · 51.6%
Graduate or professional degree
47.1% · 52.9%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Population (25+) 33,717 582,478 6,523,202
Less than 9th grade 5.5% 7.1% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 3.4% 6.2% 4.6%
High school diploma or GED 17.1% 27.1% 25.3%
Some college, no degree 15.5% 14.6% 15%
Associate's degree 5.8% 5.8% 6.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher 52.6% 39.1% 43.6%
Bachelor's degree 29.4% 22.3% 26.1%
Graduate or professional 23.2% 16.9% 17.6%
High School or higher 91.1% 86.7% 90.7%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$73,487
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$39,193
HS graduate
$40,107
Some college or associates
$54,620
Bachelors degree
$93,846
Graduate or professional degree
$121,553

Poverty Rate

3%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
12.9%
HS graduate
9.5%
Some college or associates
9%
Bachelors degree or higher
3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
West Orange Township Essex County New Jersey
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $73,487 $54,363 $63,226
Less than high school graduate $39,193 $33,131 $33,651
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $40,107 $36,844 $42,773
Some college or associate's degree $54,620 $45,680 $51,787
Bachelor's degree $93,846 $77,011 $81,924
Graduate or professional degree $121,553 $107,693 $105,179
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 12.9% 25.3% 21.1%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 9.5% 19.5% 12.6%
Some college or associate's degree 9% 12.4% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3% 4.7% 3.7%
Insights for West Orange Township, by topic

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