NJ towns gaining the most residents in 2026: Is yours on the list?

I have a confession. I've spent a lot of this year writing about people leaving New Jersey. The towns losing residents. The folks who fled to Florida. Why the rest of us stay.

Those stories get read more than anything else I write. So fair is fair. It's time to look at the other side of the ledger.

And the other side surprised me.

Most New Jersey towns are growing

The state Department of Labor publishes the Census Bureau's population estimates for all 564 municipalities. I went through every one, comparing the 2020 census count to the latest estimate, July 1, 2025.

498 towns gained residents. Only 66 lost them.

New Jersey as a whole added 259,221 people in that stretch, to 9,548,215.

The 10 towns that gained the most residents

1. Newark: up 12,259, to 323,808
2. Jersey City: up 9,564, to 302,013
3. Lakewood: up 8,607, to 143,765
4. Toms River: up 5,461, to 100,899
5. Cherry Hill: up 5,412, to 79,965
6. Elizabeth: up 4,377, to 141,675
7. Union Township, Union County: up 3,947, to 63,675
8. Brick: up 3,782, to 77,402
9. Montclair: up 3,712, to 44,633
10. Old Bridge: up 3,352, to 70,228

Three of the top 10 are in Ocean County. Toms River is now over 100,000. Jersey City is over 300,000. And Lakewood has passed Elizabeth as the state's fourth-largest municipality, growth The Lakewood Scoop ties to thousands of births a year.

The fastest-growing towns by percentage

Big cities add big numbers. For a different picture, here are the fastest growers among towns with at least 5,000 residents:

1. Plumsted, Ocean County: up 23.8%
2. Montvale, Bergen County: up 19.9%
3. Somerville, Somerset County: up 18.8%
4. Woolwich, Gloucester County: up 18.1%
5. Florham Park, Morris County: up 14.9%
6. Little Falls, Passaic County: up 14.8%
7. Berkeley Heights, Union County: up 14.0%
8. Harrison, Hudson County: up 13.7%
9. Old Tappan, Bergen County: up 13.6%
10. Bogota, Bergen County: up 11.8%

Who jumped in just the last year

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Roselle Park added 1,106 people, a 7.6% jump in one year. Warren Township in Somerset County added 1,034, up 6.2%. Newark alone added 3,646.

South Jersey is in on it

Cherry Hill is fifth in the state. Mount Laurel is up 3,105 and Evesham is up 2,699. Woolwich has grown by nearly a fifth.

And my hometown? Hamilton Township in Atlantic County, where Mays Landing sits, is up 1,361 people since 2020. That's 5%.

SEE ALSO: NJ towns losing the most residents in 2026: updated list

AND: See the town that gained the most residents in your county

Hamilton Township in Atlantic County, home to Mays Landing, has added 1,361 residents since 2020. | Google Maps

So is everybody leaving or not?

Both things are true, and I've written about that before. These numbers count everyone: babies born here and people arriving from other countries, along with people moving in from other states. A town can lose longtime residents to Florida and still grow.

So yes, people are leaving. But somebody is taking their place. In 498 towns, more than one somebody.