New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey
Nicknames: 
Hub City, Healthcare City
Location of New Brunswick in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of New Brunswick, New Jersey
Interactive map of New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick
Location in Middlesex County
New Brunswick
Location in New Jersey
New Brunswick
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°29′12″N 74°26′40″W / 40.486678°N 74.444414°W / 40.486678; -74.444414
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyMiddlesex
EstablishedDecember 30, 1730
IncorporatedSeptember 1, 1784
Named afterBraunschweig, Germany, or King George II of Great Britain
Government
 • TypeFaulkner Act (mayor–council)
 • BodyCity Council
 • MayorJames M. Cahill (D, term ends December 31, 2026)
 • AdministratorMichael Drulis
 • Municipal clerkLeslie Zeledón
Area
 • Total
5.75 sq mi (14.90 km2)
 • Land5.23 sq mi (13.55 km2)
 • Water0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2)  9.06%
 • Rank264th of 565 in state
14th of 25 in county
Elevation
62 ft (19 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
55,266
 • Estimate 
(2024)
57,487
 • Rank32nd of 565 in state
6th of 25 in county
 • Density10,561.1/sq mi (4,077.7/km2)
  • Rank713th in country (as of 2024)
37th of 565 in state
2nd of 25 in county
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes
08901–08906, 08933, 08989
Area codes732/848 and 908
FIPS code3402351210
GNIS feature ID0885318
Websitewww.cityofnewbrunswick.org
New Brunswick is the county seat for Middlesex County.

If I had to fall I wish it had been on the sidewalks of New York, not the sidewalks of New Brunswick, N.J.

Alfred E. Smith to Lew Dockstader in December 1923 on Dockstader's fall at what is now the State Theater

New Brunswick is a city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey, the city is both a college town (the main campus of Rutgers University, the state's largest university) and a commuter town for residents working in New York City within the New York metropolitan area. The New Brunswick station is a major stop for NJ Transit on the Northeast Corridor rail line, 33 miles (53 km) southwest of New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. The city is located on the southern banks of the Raritan River, in the heart of the Raritan Valley Region.

As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,266, its highest decennial census count ever and an increase of 85 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 55,181, which in turn reflected an increase of 6,608 (+13.6%) from the 48,573 counted in the 2000 census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 57,487 for 2024, making it the 713th-most populous municipality in the nation. Due to the concentration of medical facilities in the area, including Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and medical school, and Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick is known as both the Hub City and the Healthcare City. The corporate headquarters and production facilities of several global pharmaceutical companies are situated in the city, including Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb. New Brunswick is continuing to evolve into a major center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities. Downtown New Brunswick is developing a growing skyline, filling with new high-rise towers.

New Brunswick is noted for its ethnic diversity. At one time, one-quarter of the Hungarian population of New Jersey resided in the city, and in the 1930s one out of three city residents was Hungarian. The Hungarian community continues as a cohesive community, with the 3,200 Hungarian residents accounting for 8% of the population of New Brunswick in 1992. Growing Asian and Hispanic communities have developed around French Street near Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.