County Factsheet: Middlesex County, New Jersey
| Summary County Data (and Source) | |
|---|---|
| Population (2008 CB est.): | 789,102 |
| Population (2000 Census): | 750,162 |
| Foreign-born Population (2008 FAIR est.): | 229,445 |
| Foreign-born Population (2000 Census): | 181,761 |
| Share Foreign Born (2008): | 29.1% |
| Share Foreign Born (2000): | 24.2% |
| Immigrant Settlement 1991-98 (INS): | 37,425 |
| Population Projection 2025 (FAIR): | 988,000 |
COUNTY POPULATION
The population of Middlesex County was estimated by the Census Bureau at 789,102 residents as of July 2008. That was an increase of 5.2 percent since the 2000 Census.
The 2000 Census recorded 750,162 residents in the County, an 11.7 percent increase from the 671,780 residents in 1990. During the previous decade the County's population increased by 12.7 Percent from 595,893 in 1980.
According to the 2008 Census Bureau estimate, Middlesex County's population has increased since July 2000 despite a loss from net domestic migration (an annual average of about 6,770 fewer native-born residents arriving than leaving). That was offset by natural change (an annual average of about 5,000 more births than deaths) and net international migration (an annual average of about 6,935 more foreign-born residents arriving than leaving). Therefore, immigration was the largest component of population change, and it accounted for more than the total (147.8%) of the County’s population increase.
FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
FAIR estimates the foreign-born population in Middlesex County in mid-year 2008 to be about 229,445 persons (29.1% of the population). This represents an increase of 26.2 percent from the 2000 Census and compares with a 1.5 percent decrease in the native-born population.
Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. A 58.2 percent share of the County’s current births is large enough to account for about 6,085 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may be adding as many as 13,020 persons to the County’s population annually, which amounts to nearly three times (277.6%) the County’s annual average population increase.
The 2000 census recorded 181,761 foreign-born residents in Middlesex County. That was a 24.2 percent share of the overall population, which was much higher than the 17.5 percent share for the state. The 2000 data showed an increase of 91.1 percent in the immigrant population since 1990, which compared with a 1.4 percent decrease in the native-born population (which includes children born to immigrants) over the same period. This meant that immigration accounted for all of the County's population increase.
In 2000, the Census recorded that nearly half (47.9%) of the County's foreign-born population had entered since 1990. This was higher than the share for the state overall (41.6%). More than two-fifths (42.9%) of the foreign-born residents had become naturalized U.S. citizens. This was lower than the rate for the state overall (46.2%).
Another indicator of the impact of the foreign-born population may be seen in data on residents who speak a language other than English at home. In the County in 2000, the share of other-than-English speakers at home (age 5 and older) was 33.4 percent. More than two-fifths (40.3%) of those persons admitted to speaking English less than very well.
The foreign-born population of the metro area was 95,104 residents (9.8% of the state's total immigrant population). This number of immigrants ranked Middlesex County 42nd in the country. It also constituted a foreign-born population share of 14.2 percent of the county's overall population. By comparison, the foreign-born population shares of the country and the state in 1990, respectively, were 7.9 percent and 12.5 percent.
LEGAL IMMIGRATION
A study released by the Center for Immigration Studies in October 2001 indicated that there were 37,425 legal immigrants who indicated that they intended to settle in Middlesex County between FY'91-'98. This number did not include persons granted legal immigrant status as a result of the 1986 amnesty for illegal aliens. The ten countries that supplied the largest number of these new immigrants are shown below.
| Immigrant Admissions FY'91-'98: Top Ten Countries | ||
| Rank | Country | No. of Immigrants |
| 1 | India | 9,050 |
| 2 | Dominican Republic | 4,590 |
| 3 | China * | 3,337 |
| 4 | Philippines | 2,409 |
| 5 | Soviet Union | 1,698 |
| 6 | Poland | 1,547 |
| 7 | Peru | 1,115 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 1,057 |
| 9 | Egypt | 962 |
| 10 | Colombia | 749 |
* includes Hong Kong and Taiwan
POPULATION PROJECTION 2025
The current rate of population change between 1990-00, if continued, would result in a population in 2025 of 988,000. That is 31.7 percent more persons than the 2000 population.
