North Jersey

North Jersey
Interactive map of North Jersey
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
Largest citiesNewark and Jersey City
Counties
Elevation
1,803 ft (550 m)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
3,905,478
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)

Northern New Jersey, commonly referred to simply as North Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an administrative one, reflecting geographical and perceived cultural and other differences between it and the southern part of the state.

North Jersey is characterized by its position, both geographically and culturally, within the greater New York City metropolitan area, as well as its high economic output, including its regional economic engines of Paramus in Bergen County, which had $6 billion in annual retail sales as of 2018 and Jersey City, whose financial district has been nicknamed "Wall Street West", Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, and Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal.

Bergen County is the most populous county in both North Jersey and the state and serves as the western terminus for the George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, which connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to Upper Manhattan in New York City. Newark, located in Essex County, is New Jersey's most populous city. Jersey City and Paterson, located in Hudson and Passaic counties, in North Jersey are the second and third most populous cities in the region and the state after Newark.

The exact definition of which counties constitute North Jersey is a subject of debate. Definitions of the North Jersey region of the state most consistently include Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties, though definitions of North Jersey frequently vary and may include other New Jersey counties in the New York metropolitan area that are sometimes differentiated as or considered Central Jersey, including Middlesex County, Union County, Monmouth County, Somerset County, Hunterdon County and Mercer County.