Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey by unemployment rate

Cape May County had the highest unemployment rate of 21 counties in January 2026, at 11.6%. Bergen County had the lowest, at 3.9%. The median was 4.8% and the figure for New Jersey was 5.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest11.6Cape May County
Lowest3.9Bergen County
Median4.821 counties
New Jersey5.2History

All counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Cape May CountyCape May County: 11.6 %11.6Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 7.8 %7.8Atlantic CountyAtlantic County: 6.8 %6.8Salem CountySalem County: 6.3 %6.3Essex CountyEssex County: 5.7 %5.7Passaic CountyPassaic County: 5.6 %5.6Camden CountyCamden County: 5.2 %5.2Ocean CountyOcean County: 5.1 %5.1Union CountyUnion County: 5 %5Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.8 %4.8Sussex CountySussex County: 4.8 %4.8Warren CountyWarren County: 4.8 %4.8Gloucester CountyGloucester County: 4.7 %4.7Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 4.7 %4.7Burlington CountyBurlington County: 4.4 %4.4Monmouth CountyMonmouth County: 4.4 %4.4Hudson CountyHudson County: 4.3 %4.3Somerset CountySomerset County: 4.1 %4.1Hunterdon CountyHunterdon County: 4 %4Morris CountyMorris County: 4 %4Bergen CountyBergen County: 3.9 %3.9
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Cape May County11.6-1.2 pts
2Cumberland County7.8-0.6 pts
3Atlantic County6.8-0.8 pts
4Salem County6.3-0.6 pts
5Essex County5.7-0.3 pts
6Passaic County5.6-0.4 pts
7Camden County5.2-0.3 pts
8Ocean County5.1-0.3 pts
9Union County5-0.4 pts
10Mercer County4.8-0.2 pts
10Sussex County4.8-0.4 pts
10Warren County4.8-0.2 pts
13Gloucester County4.7-0.2 pts
13Middlesex County4.7-0.2 pts
15Burlington County4.4-0.3 pts
15Monmouth County4.4-0.3 pts
17Hudson County4.3-0.2 pts
18Somerset County4.1-0.2 pts
19Hunterdon County4-0.1 pts
19Morris County4-0.2 pts
21Bergen County3.9-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Cape May County, with 11.6% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Bergen County, with 3.9% in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in New Jersey: more rankings