Cumberland County is a coastal county located on the Delaware Bay in the Southern Shore Region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 16th-most-populous county,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 154,152, a decrease of 2,746 (−1.8%) from the 2010 census count of 156,898. The United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a 2025 population of 157,148, an increase of 2,996 (+1.9%) from the 2020 decennial census. Its county seat is Bridgeton.New Jersey County Map, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 22, 2022. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.Baehr, Judy. "Cumberland – A County Born of Hope, Optimism", Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. "The county was named for William Augustus, the second son of King George II. As the Duke of Cumberland in 1746, he had defeated the Stuart Pretender, Charles Edward (Bonnie Prince Charlie), at the battle of Culloden and established the House of Hanover on the British throne."The Origin of New Jersey Place Names: C, GetNJ.com. Accessed December 13, 2007. The county was formally created from portions of Salem County on January 19, 1748.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 78. Accessed September 30, 2013. The county is part of the South Jersey region of the state.Willis, David P. "'This is how wars start': Does Central Jersey include both Ocean and Union counties?", Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2024. "North Jersey is defined as Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex, and Hudson counties; South Jersey would be Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May counties. But for Central, things get a little tricky. It would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties."

The most populous municipality is Vineland, which had a 2020 population of 60,780; the largest municipality by area is Maurice River Township, which covered .

This county is part of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area,New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022. as well as the Philadelphia metropolitan area.Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas, Office of Management and Budget, February 28, 2013. Accessed October 3, 2013.

History

Etymology The county is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland who is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which made him immensely popular throughout parts of Britain.

Pre-settlement The first people to populate Cumberland County were early descendants of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware, who include all Native American people who have lived in New Jersey Water sources such as the Cohansey River and Maurice River made Cumberland County a resourceful environment for early native groups to utilize. Archaeological materials such as stone tools and pottery have been excavated in sites in Bridgeton and in Fairfield, Greenwich and Stow Creek townships.Skinner, Alanson and Max Schrabisch, 1913. A Preliminary Report of the Archeological Survey of the State of New Jersey. Bulletin 9, Geological Survey of New Jersey, Trenton. p. 54-57. Some of the earliest cultures that inhabited Cumberland County utilized clovis spear points which date to the Paleoindian period (10,000 BC to 8000 BC). As the climate switched from a tundra to woodlands during the archaic period (8000 BC to 1000 BC), ancestors of the Lenape developed axe technology, and later pottery during the woodland period (1000 BC to 1600 AD). The prehistoric period ended when European exploration and settlement arrived in the area bringing with it greater technology which ultimately supplanted much of the Native populations.

History Early European settlement began with the Swedish who called what is now New Jersey New Sweden during the first half of the 17th century. Prior to the United States gaining its independence from Great Britain, Cumberland County was deemed separate from Salem County in 1748 and was named after the Duke of Cumberland.Cumberland County is Born, Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. "The Colonial Legislature, at a session held January 30, 1748, passed an Act stipulating the east side of Salem County as a new county to be known as Cumberland." Cumberland County's economic exploits were agricultural and manufacturing, more specifically the county focused on fruits and vegetables, as well as glassware and preserved foods.

America's early successes in glassmaking began in Southern New Jersey during the 18th century and eventually led to John Landis Mason of Vineland New Jersey to invent the mason jar for storing and preserving food at home during the 1850s. Cumberland County's population has historically been "majority-minority". Cumberland County went from holding one hundred and twenty enslaved people in 1790, to two by 1830. Cumberland County included several towns settled by Black Americans many of whom escaped slavery.Baehr, Judy. "County's Towns Are What Makes the Region Tick", Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. Parts of the county were used for the Underground Railroad, and housed Harriet Tubman and William Still.

Maritime history In addition to agriculture and glassware, Cumberland County is known for its maritime industries. Its main maritime export was oysters until the 1950s when disease destroyed the oyster population. With the oyster industry came shipbuilding in 1780. Later, the industrial revolution and railroad development increased the number of ships and the types of ships being made. By the late 19th century, ships switched from the sloop model to the schooner to be more useful for oystering.

Whaling was also an industry in Cumberland County until 1775 when settlers turned to livestock, farming, and trapping. Caviar was a short-lived industry in the area from the 1860s to 1925, when sturgeon had been overfished. There are 19th and 20th century maritime related artifacts such as ship models, building plans, tools, and rigging equipment at the John Dubois Maritime Museum in Bridgeton.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of , of which was land (71.3%) and was water (28.7%).2020 Census Gazetteer File for Counties in New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed April 1, 2023. Cumberland is a low-lying, generally featureless coastal county, with many salt marshes near the Delaware Bay. The highest elevation is at one of 12 areas in Upper Deerfield Township that stand approximately above sea level;New Jersey County High Points, Peakbagger.com. Accessed October 3, 2013. the lowest elevation is sea level.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Bridgeton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in March. Cumberland has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 154,152. The median age was 38.2 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 48.4% White, 18.5% Black or African American, 1.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 18.2% from some other race, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 34.4% of the population.

75.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 52,649 households in the county, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.0% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 57,119 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.7% were owner-occupied and 37.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

According to the 2019 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, the median household income was $54,587, and the median family income was $65,022. About 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Racial and ethnic composition +Cumberland County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)98,73595,12985,51078,93165,80874.31%68.91%58.39%50.31%42.69%Black or African American alone (NH)19,44922,16728,13429,37626,37514.64%16.06%19.21%18.72%17.11%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7451,2031,0771,1029050.56%0.87%0.74%0.70%0.59%Asian alone (NH)8501,0631,3381,8542,0510.64%0.77%0.91%1.18%1.33%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census393112xx0.03%0.02%0.01%Other race alone (NH)5621431362165950.42%0.10%0.09%0.14%0.39%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,3812,9315,352xx1.63%1.87%3.47%Hispanic or Latino (any race)12,52518,34827,82342,45753,0549.43%13.29%19.00%27.06%34.42%Total132,866138,053146,438156,898154,152 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 156,898 people, 51,931 households, and 36,559 families in the county. The population density was . There were 55,834 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 62.74% (98,430) White, 20.23% (31,741) Black or African American, 1.11% (1,746) Native American, 1.22% (1,907) Asian, 0.04% (59) Pacific Islander, 11.15% (17,492) from other races, and 3.52% (5,523) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.06% (42,457) of the population.

Of the 51,931 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18; 45.2% were married couples living together; 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.6% were non-families. Of all households, 24% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.

Of the population, 24% were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 106.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 106.9 males.

Economy The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $5.9 billion in 2021, which was ranked 17th in the state and was a 3.8% increase from the prior year.Gross Domestic Product by County, 2021, Bureau of Economic Analysis, released December 8, 2022. Accessed July 17, 2023.

Government County government