Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
Atop the Hudson Palisades in Englewood Cliffs, overlooking the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan | |
|
Flag Seal Logo | |
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey | |
Interactive map of Bergen County, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 40°58′N 74°04′W / 40.96°N 74.07°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| Founded | 1683 |
| Named after | Bergen, Norway or Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands |
| Seat | Hackensack |
| Largest municipality | Hackensack (population) Mahwah (area) |
| Government | |
| • County executive | James J. Tedesco III (D, term ends December 31, 2026) |
| Area | |
• Total | 246.45 sq mi (638.3 km2) |
| • Land | 232.79 sq mi (602.9 km2) |
| • Water | 13.66 sq mi (35.4 km2) 5.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 955,732 |
• Estimate (2024) | 978,641 |
| • Density | 4,105.6/sq mi (1,585.2/km2) |
| Demonym | Bergenite |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th, 9th |
| Website | bergencountynj |
| Range in altitude: Highest elevation: 1,152 ft (351 m) (Bald Mountain, in the Ramapo Mountains, in Mahwah). Lowest elevation: 0 ft (0 m) (sea level), at the Hudson River in Edgewater. | |
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey, Bergen County and its many inner suburbs constitute a highly developed part of the New York City metropolitan area, bordering the Hudson River; the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson, connects Bergen County with Manhattan. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 955,732, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 50,616 (+5.6%) from the 905,116 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 20,998 (2.4%) from the 884,118 counted in the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a 2024 population of 978,641, an increase of 22,909 (+2.4%) from the 2020 decennial census.
The county is divided into 70 municipalities, the most of any county in New Jersey, made up of 56 boroughs, nine townships, three cities, and two villages. Its most populous place, with 46,030 residents as of the 2020 census, is Hackensack, which is also its county seat. Mahwah covers the largest area of any municipality, at 26.19 square miles (67.8 km2).
Bergen County is one of the largest commercial hubs in both New Jersey and the United States, generating over $6 billion in annual revenues from retailers in Paramus alone, despite blue laws keeping most stores in the county and especially Paramus itself (which has even stricter blue laws than the rest of the county) open only six days per week. The county is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, with a median household income of $109,497 (compared to $89,703 in New Jersey and $69,021 nationwide) and a per capita income of $55,710 (vs. $46,691 in the state and $37,638 in the U.S.) as of the 2017–2021 American Community Survey. Bergen County has some of the highest home prices in the United States, with the median sale price approximately $900,000 as of 2025 and maximum prices in the tens of millions of dollars. The county's park system includes 21 parks covering more than 9,800 acres (4,000 ha).